Serena and Venus Williams were at peak performance as they practiced during Day One of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships in London today (June 23).

Serena is expected to win the annual tennis tournament and it appears she’s well on her way.

The two-time champion met expectations in the opening round today by beating qualifier Neuza Silva 6-1, 7-5. Serena is seeded second and considered the biggest threat to her sister Venus, the two-time defending champion and tournament favourite.

Serena says she gets her confidence from projections she’ll be playing in the final a week from Saturday.

“I always feel like if people can believe in me, then I should, too,” she says. “I always think about how I feel when other people that are top seeded are playing. I’m like, `OK, they’ll win.’ So I feel like I should feel that way about myself as well.”

And it appears that Miss Venus’ determination sometimes gets in the way of her social etiquette — she admits she often forgets the names of her competitors!

“I just know the standard: Everyone is from Russia. Sometimes I think I’m from Russia, too. I feel like, you know, OK, all these new ‘ovas … I think my name must be Williamsova.”