LONDON. July 6 (AFP): Men's se in I fin alist Vladimir Voltchkov of Belarus was so sure he'd have gone home by now he's running out of clothes after prolonging his stay In London.

Asked why he was not wearing shorts that matched his top during his quarterfinal victory over Zimbabwean Byron Black he explained: ”1 didn't buy many new clothes this year. 1 had to borrow them off (Russian star and friend) Marat Safin."

Voltchkov's semifinal opponent Pete Sampras Jokingly offered to lend him a pair of shoes — but only of the hard court variety.

CAMPING IT UP

The Williams sisters, set to meet each other Thursday In the women's singles semi-final, have Introduced a fair amount of beef into the women's game tn the past few years.

But proud father and coach Richard Williams says he nev-erht tennis was a cissy game." he let slip in a recent interview.

VLAD THE GLADIATOR

Vladimir Voltchkov, only the second Qualifier in Open Era history after John McEnroe In 1977 to make the Wimbledon men's semis, is clearly seeking gladiatorial Inspiration as he prepares to face six-time champion Pele Sampras on Friday.

Asked what he did to kill time between matches the man from Minsk said he was quite a film fan — and there's one flick he's watched to excess.

"I've seen Gladiator four times already." he revealed.

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Bookmakers Ladbrokes are offering a series of special bets on the women's singles semi-final clash between the Williams sisters.

The bookies go odds-on for the chance of there being a win ning leap over the net from the victorious Williams sister to commiserate with the loser, quoting odds of 1-3.

They are also offering 10-1 on either sister to serve underarm in a bid to gain a surprise advantage on their serve.

An outside bet of 50-1 is offered on the wrong sister serving after hearing the umpire say "Miss Williams to serve."

FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

Virginia Wade, the last British woman to win a singles title at the All England Club, isn't too sure about the diets of modern players after an inspection of the food on offer at Wimbledon.

"There are just peppers everywhere. It just can't be good for the players digestion," Wade commented after visiting the player’s restaurant.