Marcus Willis vs Roger Federer
On Wednesday, June 29, 2016, British hopeful and World no.772, Marcus Willis, had the chance of a lifetime to play World no.03, seven-time Wimbledon champion and seventeen-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer, on centre court at Wimbledon.
Willis, ranked number 772 in the world, beat Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis on No 17 Court on Monday, securing his match against Federer. His road to Wimbledon is one of the most remarkable in the tournament’s history: the Brit first had to qualify for the official qualifying event in Roehampton, which was not even a possibility until fellow Brit David Rice’s recent fall in the rankings. After winning the three matches at Roehampton, Willis went on to beat three players all ranked more than 500 places above him. Willis’ fairytale ended in straight sets in his once-in-a-lifetime match up with seven-time champion (& TIG favourite) Federer, losing in straight sets to the Swiss 6-0, 6-3, 6-4.