Kristina Mladenovic may not be a name familiar to British tennis fans, but in France she is 'the next big thing' in the women's game.
Favourite surface
Mladenovic is slowly climbing the rankings at all levels of the game.
She recently reached No 39 in the women's singles and is showing no signs of slowing down as she heads into a battle of the blonde bombshells with Sharapova.
"I'm excited and I love this tournament," she said. "Grass is my favourite surface and I have very good memories because I also played a singles final and doubles final in juniors so I'm looking forward to it."
"I'm still working hard but I still have many things to work on and improve, but I'm definitely looking forward to enjoying every tournament where I have the opportunity to shine and try to show my best.
"Singles is the priority for me at Wimbledon," admitted the Frenchwoman.
"Obviously I will try my best and play match by match and try and win as many as I can.
"The transition from clay to grass is not easy but I love grass. It's my favourite surface probably because of my game and my big serve. My game can adjust on any surface though, but I just enjoy grass and Wimbledon."
Mladenovic admits it will be tough for her to win a major title with so much competition at the top of the women's game, but is relishing the challenge.
"Obviously it's my goal," she said with a smile. "Well, I was very close to a mixed doubles title at a grand slam, but I have to be honest with you - the competition today is very hard.
"I believe in myself and I hope to win a Grand Slam as soon as possible, it's definitely a goal in my career to achieve such a big thing.
"I won't be too much in a hurry because there are a lot of players ahead of me.
"It's true that I'm just 20, but I'm just one of many promising young players coming through. The competition is exciting."
Mladenovic is ranked inbetween the likes of Laura Robson (No 37) and Heather Watson (No 57) whom she grew up playing against at junior level.
When asked on her opinion of the British pair, she said: "They are very good, young players. I've known them for a very long time - I think from the age of 10.
"I know Laura and Heather and I think they have specific games. They are not at all similar, but they have their own weapons and I think they can be very good players in the future, which is a great thing for British tennis. I think it's really good to have two good players like this."
Finally, I rather naively asked her whether people are sometimes surprised when they see her on court representing France. She laughed, and said in her strong French accent: "Why? Is it because I'm tall and blonde?"
Mladenovic against Sharapova is my pick of the first round matches at Wimbledon and a possible shock could on the cards if the young French star brings her 'A' game to SW19.
