WIN or lose, playing against Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final will literally be a dream come true for Garbine Muguruza.

Now 21, she began playing tennis aged four, and it was just a few years after that beginning that she dreamed about the very occasion in which she is about to take part. Given that background, it is little wonder that she has a sense of destiny about her future in the sport.

"It's weird," the No 20 seed from Spain said. "When I was eight, I was dreaming. Now it's happening, it's amazing.

"But, you know, it's what I've worked for. Now I'm feeling that all my effort, all the work that I did before, is paying off."

Asked who won that match in her dream, Muguruza laughed and said she could not remember. The knowing smile she wore hinted that it might in fact have been a Williams victory, but that is of little or no significance.

The important thing for this articulate and personable woman from Barcelona is that she is now ready to take on the player she used to idolise. "She was an inspiration for me, because when I was watching TV, I saw her play finals, and she was No 1," Muguruza said of her opponent, who first became No 1 in 2002, the year of the dream.

Given Serena's longevity and the experience that comes with it, there is a possibility that this final will be a one-sided affair. Certainly, Muguruza, so dynamic for much of her semi-final against Agnieszka Radwanska, began to stutter in the second set when she was within touching distance of victory - in the end, she needed three to dispose of her Polish opponent.

But, if she manages to stay composed and relaxed, and convince herself there is more pressure on her 33-year-old rival, she has a chance. Six foot tall and powerfully built, she is several inches taller than the American, and lighter on her feet around court. And, while Muguruza has never been in a Grand Slam final before and could therefore be susceptible to nerves, her opponent is arguably under more pressure.

With the Australian, French and US Open titles already in her possession, Williams is on the verge of completing the so-called Serena Slam for the second time in her career. She remains the dominant figure in women's tennis, as she showed in crushing Maria Sharapova in her semi-final, but she knows she does not have too many remaining chances to augment her already formidable haul of 20 major titles..

"It's a final and she'll get nervous too," Muguruza added. "I'm sure she doesn't like playing against me."

That much was clear last year at Roland Garros, when Muguruza beat Williams 6-2, 6-2 in the second round - the worst Grand Slam loss of the American's career. The older woman has won their other two meetings, but the relevance of that so-far solitary victory is not lost on the Spaniard.

"It's really important, because it makes you see and realise that she's also a person. She also has feelings. She also [is] nervous.

"She knows that I can win against her, that I'm not afraid. You know, I don't think she's really used to this. Serena doesn't lose so many matches in the year. I think it's important."

Williams agreed that the Paris loss was important, but for a different reason. She regarded it as a wake-up call that provoked her into analysing what was going wrong with her game, and thus led to her rediscovering the form that has restored her to her position of pre-eminence in the sport.

"It was an eye€‘opening loss for me," she said. "Some losses you're angry about, and some losses you learn from. That loss I think I learned the most from in a long time.

"I got so much better after that loss. I was able to improve a lot. I worked on things.

It was really an experience that helped me say, 'Okay, Serena, you want to be the best, you're going to have to do certain things and you're going to have to improve certain things'.

"It's definitely not an easy match-up," she continued when asked about Muguruza. "We had a tough match the last time we played, and she's given me problems in the past. So this time I have to just go in it, have fun and do the best that I can. Just try to stay positive and stay focused.

"I don't think she's intimidated at all. She's not that kind of person. So she'll be fine.

"She's beaten me before, so she knows how to win. She knows what to do."

Whatever the result of the final, Williams's status as one of the greatest tennis players ever is guaranteed, as is Muguruza's future as one of the brightest stars in the game. Of the younger woman's generation, only Madison Keys looks set to rival her, and it will be no surprise if she gets to double figures in Grand Slam wins, even if that Williams total of 20 could be out of anyone's reach for a long time to come.

"It's going to be the best day of my tennis career," Muguruza said at the end of her eve-of-final press conference. "If I win it's going to be much better. But the score doesn't matter - I'm going to be really happy and proud."

Was that an attempt to take some of the pressure off herself? Does she really think that, perhaps having got this far a little ahead of schedule, she can just enjoy the ride?

If so, Williams will win with something to spare. But Muguruza has come on so quickly, and is so content in herself and with her form, that she could just pull off a shock. And then she really would have to pinch herself and wonder if she was still only dreaming of Wimbledon glory.