'I saw her naked. She's so big I was in shock for a week': Romanian ace recalls first encounter with Serena Williams

Romanian tennis player Alexandra Cadantu says her first meeting with Serena Williams left a lasting impression as she saw the Grand Slam legend naked in the locker room and was stunned at "how big she is."

Cadantu, 30, said the encounter had come at her first appearance a Major, which the records indicate was the Australian Open of 2012.

"The first time I went to a Grand Slam tournament and the first memory I have of going into the locker room was when I saw Serena Williams for the first time in my life," the Romanian recalled to local media.  

"I saw her naked and I was in shock for a week, because she's very big.

"It's incredible how she looks, how she can play and move," Cadantu added.

The Romanian ended up being dumped out of the first round of the 2012 Melbourne showpiece by Italy's Roberta Vinci, while Williams reached the fourth round before falling to Russia's Ekaterina Makarova.

Williams and Cadantu have never met on court in their careers, but have enjoyed vastly different fortunes since that memorable first locker room meeting.

The Romanian's career high is a ranking of world number 59 at the start of 2014, before she began her steady descent to the relatively lowly standing of 292 today.

The 38-year-old Williams, meanwhile, continued to rack up her haul of 23 Grand Slam titles - although has been unsuccessful in her last four major final appearances as she bids to match Australian great Margaret Court's all-time tally of 24.