A1 Pharmaceuticals LTC Marcus Willis earns fairytale showdown with Roger Federer at Wimbledon as dre
WIMBLEDON outsider Marcus Willis landed himself a fairytale meeting with Roger Federer on Wednesday after the biggest win of his career on Monday.
Willis, whose season’s earnings totalled £213 from a Tunisian Futures Tour event, guaranteed himself a £50,000 payday after saving 19 out of 20 break points in beating Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis in straight sets.
“It’s an amazing dream come true. I get to play on a stadium court and I’m going to go out there and try to win the tennis match.
"I probably won’t – he’s a little bit better than me – but I’m going to give everything. I’m not sure he can play on grass!”
It will the first meeting with Federer for the 25-year-old, who supplements his income by giving tennis lessons at Warwick Boat Club and still lives with his parents in Wokingham.
“I’ve never even spoken to him. I don’t think he was at Tunisia this year!” said Willis, still star-struck from shaking hands with his hero Goran Ivanisevic.
Willis’s girlfriend Jennifer Bate, a dentist in Warwick, was able to share in his glory after fate leant a hand.
“I went in this morning ready for the day ready to see my patients. Then they told me that the suction machine was not working so my boss said cancel all your appointments,” she said.
“At the end Marcus just came over, kissed me and said, 'I love you.'"
There was one other notable success for the Brits yesterday, with Dan Evans beating German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5.
