Heather Watson has revealed that she used to have a poster of her Wimbledon third-round opponent Serena Williams on her bedroom wall.

Watson, 23, knows she will be in for a tough match as Williams aims to win her sixth Wimbledon title.

"I first became aware of her when I came to Wimbledon when I was seven or eight years old and I bought two posters," the British number one told reporters. "One was Venus [Williams] and Serena together and one was Roger Federer. So those were the three players that I liked. They went straight up on my wall.

"And now I get the opportunity to play her and it's really exciting. She is a great champion and a legend in the game, so it will be a great experience for me, and where better for me to play her than here at Wimbledon.

"I don't really know her but she does have a presence about her. She is a strong woman, and even if she wasn't a tennis player she would have a presence. When people that don't know much about tennis find out I play tennis, one of the first questions is, have you played Serena, and I'm like no. But I have played Venus!"

Watson beat Caroline Garcia and Daniela Hantuchova on the way to facing her childhood hero.