Wat a tragedy! Heather Watson wins nation's heart as she nearly knocks red hot favourite Serena Williams out of Wimbledon
- British No 1 Heather Watson took on her childhood hero Serena Williams
- The 23-year-old revealed she even had a poster of her idol on her wall
- Plucky Brit tested the five-time Wimbledon champion in close fought game
- After one of the greatest matches on centre court she lost out to Williams
British tennis star Heather Watson almost knocked out five-times champion Serena Williams in game that has stunned Wimbledon.
In a battle of David versus Goliath, relative unknown Miss Watson, 23, pushed her American opponent, 33, to her limit.
But, proving why she's the world number one, Williams snatched a victory after an intensely fought game.
It's only the second time the plucky Brit, who ranks at a world player No 4, has even reached this stage of the tournament. While world champion William was the heavy favourite to take home this year's title.
Proving why she's the champion: Serena Williams snatched victory back from Watson after a closely fought game
British tennis star Heather Watson (left) nearly defeated her childhood hero - five-times champion Serena Williams (right) - in game that has stunned Wimbledon.
Williams of the United States shakes hands after victory with Watson of Great Britain after their Ladies Singles Third Round match
But in an incredible game, the young player shocked tennis fans by producing what is probably one of the best points of her career.
Henman Hill was packed out with staff craning for monitors to watch the action as Watson captivated Wimbledon.
It was incredibly close as the reigning champion, who has won 21 grand slams, and the relative unknown appeared to be neck and neck.
Veteran Williams, rattled by the challenger, had to battle to level up after Watson took an early lead.
She went onto win three games in a row as the pressure appeared to get to the rising Wimbledon star.
But the 23-year-old, who said she grew up with posters of her idol Williams on her walls, refused to give up.
After being pegged back, Watson turned the tables on Williams and breaked to go 5-4 up with the crowd right behind the Brit.
Williams returned the favour to give Watson a taste of her own medicine.
Emotional: Heather Watson only narrowly lost out against her childhood tennis idol Serena Williams
Watson and her mother Michelle (right) react to the game which was incredibly close as the reigning champion, who has won 21 grand slams, and the relative unknown appeared to be neck and neck until Williams took a late win
In a game fans will be talking about for years, the 20 grand-slam champion pushed back with everything she had to beat Watson 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
However, it was Watson who won the hearts of the crowds who backed her throughout the game.
'Serena's an amazing athlete, a great champion. In matches like this you've got a lot to gain, so it's a real positive to play her,' said Watson ahead of the match.
'This time around this isn't my first or second Wimbledon, I've been here a few times now, I've got a feeling for playing against the top players.
'At the end of the day everybody's human, everybody's going to make mistakes, and have good days and bad days.
'But she's the one to beat, she's always the favourite in every tournament she plays.'
Miss Watson, from Guernsey, has already won a minimum of £77,000 in prize money in this year's tournament, bringing her total career winnings to just under £1million.
While it is a bank balance most women in their early 20s could only dream of, it is just a fraction of the £44million Serena Williams has won in her 20 years since turning pro.
Plucky Brit Heather Watson was close to defeating five-times Wimbledon champion - and her childhood idol - Serena Williams
In a real David versus Goliath battle, relative unknown Miss Watson, 23, lost out to her American opponent, 33, who is ranked world No 1
Working for victory: In an incredible game, the young player shocked tennis fans by producing what is probably one of the best points of her career
Veteran Williams, rattled by the challenger, had to battle to hard to level up - winning three games in a row as the pressure appeared to get to Watson
Support: Miss Watson was cheered on by a large group of her family including her mother Michelle, pictured, who wolf-whistled loudly and called out encouragement to her daughter
Miss Watson, who falls 59 places below Serena in the world rankings, has been a fan of the tennis ace since she was a girl and had a poster her powerhouse sister, Venus, on her bedroom wall.
'I first became aware of her when I came to Wimbledon when I was seven or eight years old and I bought two posters,' she told the Daily Mirror.
'One was Venus and Serena together and one was Roger Federer. So those were the three players that I liked. They went straight up on my wall.'
The British No 1, who played Venus Williams in China last year, said she was 12 or 13 when she met Serena while she was training at the Bollettieri academy in Florida.
Rattled: The world no 1 was battling to keep up with the young challenger
'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,' she added.
Miss Watson edged past the number 32 seed Caroline Garcia of France in her opening match. On Tuesday she cruised past former world number five Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets.
The 32-year-old Slovakian is ranked 46 in the world compared with Miss Watson’s ranking of 64.
But the Briton triumphed 6-4 6-2 in just 81 minutes, earning a standing ovation from the crowd on Court One and becoming the first Briton through to this year's third round.
Miss Watson was cheered on by a large group of her family including her mother Michelle, who wolf-whistled loudly and called out encouragement to her daughter throughout the game.
After her victory, Miss Watson’s grandmother Jean Watson, 85, said: ‘I’m very, very proud. When I get home, I’m going to go right to the top of Blackpool Tower and shout about it as loud as I can!’
Miss Watson will need all the support she can get when she steps out on to Centre Court today, with Andy Murray warning she faces 'the biggest test in tennis'.
He said: 'I saw a bit of Serena's match yesterday. She looked highly motivated from the beginning.
'She looked pretty fired up, so it's going to be an extremely difficult match for Heather. Probably the biggest test in tennis right now, I'd think.
'She's going to have the crowd with her and has to try to use that to her advantage, try not to be intimidated.
'I'm not going into tactics, but she needs to go for it, try not to let Serena dictate and serve well. If she can do that it will make a big difference.'
On Tuesday Watson cruised past former world number five Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets (pictured)
Serena Williams, pictured after her match with Timea Babos, is the favourite to take home the title
Former tennis player Sue Barker admitted it would be a 'tall order' for Heather but said 'everybody is beatable'.
'She has got to go out there and say "People have done this before",' she told the Daily Mirror.
'If Serena is on, she is going to be hard to beat. But Serena has had defeats here, and if you are going to beat Serena here at Wimbledon it is probably going to be earlier on, because she gets better and better as the tournament goes on.
'Heather is feisty and I don't think she is going to be intimidated.'
And it appears Williams was not complacent going into the match, saying it 'won't be easy'.
'She has got nothing to lose,' she said. 'Home court will be a huge advantage for her and it will be a big match for us both.
'She plays well on grass but I don't know her at all. I see her around the locker room, she is always smiling and seems super sweet.'
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