Entering the second week of a grand slam always brings a heightened level of excitement. This is the point where each round brings a certain anticipation for the next. At Wimbledon, having the middle Sunday off allows for a clearly defined break that divides the two weeks. It is also a time when players have a chance to get treatment, work on their games, see London or simply rest.

The middle Sunday at Wimbledon becomes a springboard for a week where you will compete for your chance to make history. My plan does not deviate much from the other parts of the fortnight but I do take advantage of the time off on the middle Sunday to clear my mind and take it easy. I practised this past Sunday, then had a pedicure with one of my close friends who is in town. My mom and my sister Isha spent their Sunday at the British Museum and I was really wishing that I could go too.

My 2008 Wimbledon experience began when our group arrived in London on Wednesday, June 18. We flew from New York, checked into our flat and went straight to practice from the flight. My daily routine includes practising in the morning to avoid getting caught by the rain and the rest of the day includes light gym workouts, treatments and relaxing.

Before the tournament started, there were several promotional activities for the tournament, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and individual projects that I am involved in. On Thursday, June 19, I attended a launch party for my new photo book (shot by photographer Koto Bolofo) at the Ralph Lauren store on Bond Street. It was a great crowd with well over 300 attendees and members of the sports, fashion and entertainment media. Koto was there with his wife, children and his mother (who flew in for the event from South Africa).

The feedback on the book has been very positive. I am accustomed to having the press and fans take an interest in my tennis career but it is also a rewarding experience to have the media and others take a sincere interest in my ideas that go beyond tennis. After the launch party I attended a party that Sir Richard Branson hosted to announce the new Tour campaign “Looking for a Hero?”. Many of the top female players are in the commercial and attended the party. The DJ was rocking and it was a fun event. I had to make my escape though before the urge to dance took over - and it was coming on strong!

The following morning I did a media round table with invited print and television media from different parts of the world and on Sunday I did a defending champion's press conference. The defending champion's round table and press conference are two of those unique traditions that only take place at Wimbledon. Yet another tradition is that the female defending champion plays her first-round match at 1pm on the opening Tuesday. Knowing when I would play my first-round match is an added plus for defending champions to plan schedules accordingly and maximise preparation.

My Wimbledon outfits have been a personal highlight. This is my first time wearing my clothing line, EleVen by Venus Williams, at Wimbledon. Several people have asked about the concept behind my dress so here it is: the inspiration for my singles dress came from the concept of the Greek Goddess. I have also observed Norma Kamali, a designer who has popularised bringing alternative themes into athletic attire. The keyhole in the front is an idea that comes from swimwear and I thought this could be an interesting touch.

Integrating these concepts into a tennis dress proved an enlightening project and our team have been very happy with the end result and feedback. It's pretty neat to see this dress evolve from a brainstorming concept to a sketch to a product sample to Centre Court at Wimbledon. After my pre-tournament commitments, my approach is typically to keep things very quiet during the fortnight. There are other post-match commitments throughout the tournament but the key for me is to make sure I don't take on too much. On any day rain could be a factor and there are times when I will have an extra practice after my match to work on something I want to improve.

These are just two reasons why I have learnt to keep my schedule open. I went out to a fun dinner in London with Serena and a few friends on the Friday before the tournament started but once the tournament gets under way it is normally meals at home and early nights. When I do have free time and get restless, I will walk into the Wimbledon Village for a snack or to run miscellaneous errands. I like notebooks with fun designs on them and I found a really nice one in the Village the other day. I saw one Serena would like too, so I picked it up for her.

The people in the Village are always so nice and also respectful which makes walking around in Wimbledon Village an experience that can be as enjoyable for the players as it is for the fans. The Village is so quaint, yet there is this underlying energy in the air. Often I wonder what the other 50 weeks of the year must be like here. So when you're watching me and Serena play this week here's a quick overview of who is who and what I will be doing to get ready: my core team with me is a physio (who I share with Serena), my mom and dad and my practice partner. My sister Isha is also here and I have a few friends who come off and on during the fortnight. Koto and his mother also stayed on and will come to several of the matches.

My preparation includes breakfast at home in the morning and then practice. My music of choice has been the new Britney Spears album, which is upbeat and helps me get my day started on the good foot. Serena and I are also playing doubles, which is so much fun. We have a great time together playing doubles. From a tennis perspective, playing doubles also helps to reinforce moving forward and hitting volleys. There is much more work to do and I am looking forward to another good week.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned.