Sister Serena loves to talk on the phone and says her best place to visit is the mirror in her house.

The 'chalk and cheese' sisters are doing it for themselves but their styles could not be more different on and off court.

Wimbledon's Centre Court on Tuesday provided a fascinating contrast as the two most famous sisters in sport fought their way into the semi-finals on the biggest stage in tennis.

Serena wore her heart on her sleeve, pumping her fist and furiously psyching herself up to defeat Jennifer Capriati.

Gone was the crestfallen champion who wept in Paris as the crowd at the French Open booed and cat-called her.

With victory gained over the ever-dangerous Capriati, Serena waved and exuberantly blew kisses at the Wimbledon fans.

In sharp contrast, Venus was so chilled out that she took a nap in the rain break that interrupted her match with Lindsay Davenport.

"I love to sleep. I'm a sleeper. So any time I am sitting still, I might nod off," she confessed to reporters.

"I am not a very stressed out or hectic person, kind of anything goes -- not anything but I'm just an easy going person," she said.

Venus, the more bookish and introverted of the sisters, once ruled the tennis world.

Now it is the turn of Serena, the bubbly extrovert who is leading Venus 5-4 in terms of Grand Slam titles.

Venus, who at 23 is two years older than Serena, is philosophical about that: "It's impossible to be the shining star every time.... It's impossible to be in the winner's circle every time. You don't learn as much if you don't lose a few times."

She was fulsome in praise of Serena's dominance: "For sure Serena just always had the better shot last year for no matter whom she was playing. She was definitely very motivated to do well and to win and that's really what it takes."

Serena, who has beaten her sister in their four last Grand Slam finals, clearly feels at home as defending champion in the grasscourt Grand Slam.

"I definitely heard a large roar and clap and that was nice," she has said of the genteel Wimbledon fans who would never dream of resorting to the rowdiness of a Paris crowd in full flight.

She is now firmly back in 'Get Tough' mode, saying jokingly of her Paris tears: "Correction. My eyes were watering."