Meet Garbine Muguruza, the surprise Wimbledon 2015 grand slam finalist

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Bubbly brunette Garbine Muguruza has reached Wimbledon final
It will be the 21-year-old Spaniard's first grand slam final
Started playing the sport aged three and went to tennis academy at eight
Is superstitious and has told her parents not to come over to watch
Says female players can be too catty with one another on the circuit
Has beaten Serena Williams at the French Open
She's fan of cooking, Antonio Banderas and David Guetta

Published: 07:17 EST, 10 July 2015 | Updated: 09:00 EST, 10 July 2015

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There's one woman standing in between Serena Williams and her sixth Wimbledon title - and few people have heard of her, let alone know how to pronounce her name.

The player bidding to stop the 'Serena Slam' (ie the World Number One holding all Grand Slam titles at once) is bubbly brunette Garbine Muguruza.

Athletic, fashion-conscious and a fan of taking selfies, Gabrine appears like any other 21-year-old on her Twitter account as she shares snaps of herself with a new hairdo, posing with friends or when glammed up for a night out.

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Who? Garbine Muguruza, pictured at the WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party at Kensington Roof Gardens, is the surprise finalist in the women's singles match tomorrow

Having fun: The 21-year-old shared a picture of herself larking around at the party on her Twitter account

Ready for her close-up: Like many her age, Garbine loves sharing selfies online

But while Garbine may long to be like an average 21-year-old off the court and bemoans the loneliness of being a professional player - to the extent that she has criticised how 'catty' female players tend not to socialise with one another - there's nothing she loves more than tennis, and she's dedicated her life to becoming the best.

'Since teenager I knew I wanted to devote myself to this. When I finished high school, I chose not to continue studying to devote body and soul to the court.

'It was a hard decision, but my bet and I want to go far. I just want to play, play, play,' she told Spanish magazine Telva in May.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1993 to a Venezuelan mother and Spanish father, Garbine chose to represent her father's country in the sport when they moved to Spain when she was six.

She said growing up with two brothers helped 'toughen her up ' and she started playing tennis at the age of three. She showed such promise, she was enrolled at a tennis academy in Barcelona run by two-time French Open champion Sergi Bruguera by the time she was eight-years-old.

New look: The Spanish player shared this picture when she dyed her hair blonde but was back to being brunette when she arrived at Wimbledon, where she has reached her first grand slam final

Me, myself and I: Garbine takes a selfie from a hotel room, she admits it can be lonely travelling the world as a professional tennis player

As a result, expectations have always been high that she would become a tennis great and she is now realising her potential by becoming 20th seed in the the world and reaching her first grand slam final.

During her time in South West London, she's built up a reputation for being superstitious - even saying she may not allow her parents to come and watch the final in case they jinx her.

They haven't watched any of her games in the tournament so far and she worries any change may bring her bad luck.

'They asked me two days ago "We want to come". I said no! I don't change anything. I brush my teeth at the same time, I wake up in the same way, putting the same leg out of bed first.

'I'm not going to change anything.'

She confirmed today that her parents would remain in Barcelona to watch the match on TV - but played down her obsessive behaviour.

'My parents, they're going to be in Barcelona watching me from the TV. I don't want to change anything, but I'm not superstitious,' she said.

Facing Serena, 33, who has a record 35 grand slams titles to her name, makes her truly the underdog when they meet in tomorrow.

Young talent: Garbine pictured as little girl, she started playing tennis age three and was enrolled at a sports academy by the age of eight

Not afraid of Serena: She said growing up with brothers has toughened her up

But Garbine does have an ace up her sleeve - she's beaten Serena before - and the American hasn't forgotten it.

She mentioned the loss to Garbine - which occurred in the second round of the French Open last year - as soon as she was asked how she felt about playing her again following her semi-final victory against Maria Sharapova yesterday.

'She actually beat me before,' Serena told the BBC. 'She made me improve, so she has me on my toes. It's not going to be an easy match, so I'll be fighting a lot.'

While the women will be rivals tomorrow, Garbine as previously described Serena as her idol and has also expressed a desire for female players to be more friendly with one another off court.

She said in an interview with Sport 360 that she envies the way male professional tennis players manage to maintain friendships with one another, while the women are more catty and keep their distance.

Serena got better of Muguruza at Australian Open in January

Ready to do battle: Serena was beaten by Garbine at the French Open in 2014 and she hasn't forgotten it

'It's not like that on the men's tour. I don't understand why,' she said. 'I think girls are more like (imitates a cat's claw-like gesture).

'The men, they just sit there, they eat, they have dinner together and I'm like "what? are you crazy?"

'With the Spanish players I kind of have more relation, but with the rest, no. It's sad.'

Lack of friendships with the women she travels the world with contribute to single Garbine's feelings of loneliness and she admits this is the hardest aspect of her dream career.

'Tennis is a lonely sport and you have to travel a lot from a very young age. That makes you isolate yourself.

'You send a lot of time alone, between workouts, airports and hotels... and you're distancing yourself from your friends. You spend ten months a year traveling around the world, ' she said.

She added that there's many things she can't do because of her profession.

Been there, done that, got the T-shir: Garbine admits the sport is her life and she loves to play

'I have to say no to a lot of things. I can't go on vacation with friends. You can't go skiing because you can break your leg,' she explains.

But her sport also brings her great rewards. She enjoyed the Pre-Wimbledon Party at Kensington Roof Gardens posting a picture of herself dancing in a red dress and while playing, she wears designer clothes - her dress is adidas by Stella McCartney.

Of course, the biggest reward is that she's made her first grand slam final but there was another perk along the way - she got to meet her favourite actor Antonio Banderas this week after bumping into him in the Wimbledon dining room.

Surprise victory: The Spanish number 20 seed shows her shock as she beats Agnieszka Radwanska yesterday to reach the Wimbledon final

Fashionista: Garbine is playing in an adidas by Stella McCartney dress

'I just asked him, "What are you doing here?",' she said. 'He said that he actually likes tennis. I didn't know.'

Garbine shared a picture of them together on her Twitter account with the caption 'look who I bumped into at the buffet #bigfan'

She's also a fan of the music of David Guetta and she listens to his tunes to psyche herself up for matches.

Sweet tooth: When she's not training or playing, Garbine loves to cook, with desserts her favourite

She's a fan of the music of David Guetta and she listens to his tunes to psyche herself up for matches

Dining alone: Garbine wishes the women on the tennis circuit could be more friendly with one another

When she's not playing or practising tennis (which isn't often), her favourite hobby is cooking.

Even though she's restricted in what she can make as she has to stick to a healthy diet - which means no rich sauces or high fat foods - she admits she does have a weakness for sweet treats.

'I know it's not good for me, but it's how I like to spend time,' she said of her penchant for making desserts.

She'll certainly deserve one if she topples Serena tomorrow to win her first Wimbledon title.