A huge smile forms across Heather Watson's face as she casts her mind back a decade.
Back to Centre Court at Wimbledon and the summer of 2016. Hours after Andy Murray won his second title at SW19, Watson claimed Grand Slam glory of her own alongside Henri Kontinen in the mixed doubles.
"That was one of the best days of my life," Watson says.
"And not just the match and because we won. The way you pick out a dress and go to the ball after. And then, God, what an epic night."
It was a long one, too, stretching from Wimbledon to Café de Paris. In that West End venue, Watson found herself alongside Lewis Hamilton, who was staging an after-party of his own after winning the British Grand Prix that day.
"Just a wild night," Watson says. "I didn't get home until 7am and I am not that kind of person!"
I actually polished my trophies three days ago. Just as a good omen, you know?
Heather Watson
Watson and Kontinen first played together when warming up for their opening match. Two byes and four wins later, they were in the final.
"When I woke up that morning, I was like, 'I'm going to win Wimbledon today'," Watson remembers.
"It was just this overwhelming feeling I had. I'll never forget it. I've never felt like that in any other final. The whole tournament we were relaxed and just hit the ball as hard as we could. It kept going in."
Watson is now making her 16th Wimbledon appearance. She will play alongside Katie Boulter in the women's doubles after the pair received a wildcard.
However, the 34-year-old's application for a wildcard into the singles draw was turned down, and she instead had to make her first ever appearance in Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton.
That ended in defeat at the final hurdle to top seed Maria Timofeeva and Watson will therefore not be in the singles main draw at Wimbledon for the first time since 2010. Was she disappointed not to receive a wildcard?
"I put my request in but at the end of the day, a wildcard is a gift," Watson responds diplomatically.
"Everybody has their own reasons and they are valid. There's no right or wrong. It’s exciting and it’s nerve-racking, but it’s a gift and never a given.”
Watson is ranked just inside the top 500 in the world after spending six months out with a tendon issue in her glute. The injury became so painful she considered not returning.
"I'd already been having the pain for months," Watson says.
"And it wasn't just pain playing, it was pain in life. Just doing regular things - walking, sitting down - because you sit on the injury. It was horrible."
Months of rehab and rest led to a complete break from tennis, so much so that Watson jokes, "I don't even know who half the players are anymore".
For the first time in as long as she can remember, she also properly celebrated her birthday.
"I had a little party," she begins, before quickly correcting the record. "I actually celebrated the whole week. I didn't hold back."
Now fully fit, Watson insists she is playing "some of the best tennis of my career" on the practice courts. That bodes well for a deep run with Boulter, as do her more superstitious acts of preparation.
"I actually polished my trophies three days ago," Watson laughs. "Just as a good omen, you know?"
Watson and Boulter are close friends and reached the quarter-finals together at the Paris Olympics last summer. While Watson is a regular on the doubles court, Boulter needed more persuading. Watson confirms: "I asked her out!
“She doesn't usually play doubles at Wimbledon but I thought I'll ask, what's the hurt? She said yeah. Feeling very happy and excited, especially because we're such good friends.
"We're a really good match. Her being such a big hitter, big serve, so strong on the baseline and then me like a little ninja around the net."
Have they discussed what would represent a successful tournament?
"Me and Katie walking away with the trophy," Watson says, beaming at the thought of it.
"That would be top tier. Oh my god, imagine. That would be so good. I'm just putting it out there in the universe."
Watson and Boulter will be a very popular pairing but even that could be tested if they draw one of their fellow wildcard partnerships.
It's absolutely brilliant for the sport ... To be winning Grand Slams through decades, it's absolutely incredible ... it's unreal for the tournament
Heather Watson on Serena Williams' return
Serena Williams has returned to the sport and will partner sister Venus. It is a decade since Watson's crowning moment, but it is also the tenth anniversary of Serena and Venus winning the Wimbledon women's doubles title for the sixth time.
For the first time since 2016, the sisters will stride onto the grass courts together.
"That would be absolutely amazing," Watson says on the prospect of facing them.
"But at the same time, I don't want to. I had their posters on my walls when I was little. They're my heroes. They've got this aura, this energy. They're queens."
Serena's return hindered Watson's hopes of a main-draw wildcard, with the 44-year-old taking the final available spot. However, there is no sense of frustration.
"I think it's absolutely brilliant for the sport. I love her, I can sing her praises all day," Watson says.
"Her longevity is insane. To be winning Grand Slams through decades, it's absolutely incredible. She's looking great, really fit, playing good. It's unreal for the tournament."
Watson faced Serena in an extraordinary 2015 singles encounter at Wimbledon. Then 23, and playing the eventual champion, Watson came from a set down to serve for the match on a febrile Centre Court before ultimately losing.
Having told her coach that morning she just wanted to make sure she won a game, it was a remarkable effort and one that still serves as a source of inspiration.
"When I'm in a negative headspace, I have to remind myself who I am, what I've done," Watson says.
"I'll look at highlights of when I played Serena or a moment like that. And sometimes I think, how did I do that?
"I'm proud of myself and I should be more proud. Naturally I'm not a very confident person when it comes to believing in myself."
Since returning from injury in February, Watson has dropped down a level to play in ITF tournaments in Slovenia, Slovakia and Japan. The familiar surroundings of Wimbledon and the big crowds will be a welcome return to the sport's biggest stage.
"For me personally, it's why I play," Watson says.
"The biggest courts, the biggest stadiums full. That's why I find the ITF so tough. There's crickets and no one there. You're just playing for the love of the sport.
"It sounds like that love has been tested. "Yeah, really tested," Watson agrees.
"Going to play a small ITF in the middle of Slovenia I was like, 'nah, this isn't the one. I need to do well and get out of here ASAP.' It motivates you."
That raises the obvious question, particularly after a long period of reflection on the sidelines, of how long she sees herself still putting in that work.
"I love tennis and the training so it's easy to keep playing and want to be fit," she says.
"That's the easy part. For me, I have to get back to the level I was before I was injured. I have to be back in the Grand Slams. Then we go from there."
Would a sustained spell in those lower-ranked tournaments be enough motivation to continue?
"Absolutely that's not an option," Watson says, shaking her head. "No. Can't even think about it - blocking that out!"
There is, though, no fixed timeframe for when the racket will be hung up. For now, stepping back into the Wimbledon grounds brings just as much excitement as ever.
Watson's rule of three still stands. "As long as I'm happy, healthy, and making a living, I'll play as long as I can."
