Tennis teacher ranked 772nd wins at Wimbledon; Federer next

Ranked 775 in the world, Marcus Willis only qualified for the famous tennis championships last week, after Scott Clayton withdrew from the Roehampton tournament.

And the 25 year-old, the lowest ranked player in the main draw, will be pleased he made that choice after making a name for himself by cruising past Lithuanian world No. 54 Berankis.

“I was adamant I was going to go to America to coach”, Willis told the New York Times.

Standing in as the X-Factor-esque contender at Wimbledon this year, Willis hasn’t had the most conventional of rises to sporting stardom, nearly quitting after a heckler dubbed him “Cartman” – the overweight South Park character – because of his physique.

His parents will be there to watch, although Bate has to work, and Court 17 is sure to be packed out. “I don’t think he was at the Tunisia Futures event this year”.

Willis was once the bad boy junior of tennis.

Willis said: “I mix it up a lot”.

Whatever happens, Willis will go back to his job in Warwick after Wimbledon before giving the tour another crack in January.

“It’s an opportunity for him to play on one of the biggest courts in the world with a huge audience and try to cause an upset”, said Murray, champion in 2013. “I honestly didn’t expect myself to start that well”, said Djokovic.

Willis kept Berankis guessing with clever use of slice, some fine passing shots and nerveless serving under pressure, and the shock was very much on when he broke to love for a 3-1 lead in the second set. “Hopefully he will carry on playing after this now and gets his act together again”.

Evans’ talent has never been in doubt, but it is only in the previous year that he has consistently matched that with application.

Fresh from becoming the first British woman to reach the semi-finals of Eastbourne’s Aegon International since 1976, she faces Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig, whose appearance in the last four at Eastbourne was her second grass-court semi-final of the summer.

“Obviously, it’s an wonderful dream come true”. I am playing great tennis.