The world's 772nd-best tennis player just won a spot opposite Roger Federer at Wimbledon
Marcus Willis might be far from a household name in the world of tennis, but the 25-year-old from unglamorous Slough in England has just made the ultimate entrance at Wimbledon.
The player, who's ranked number 772 in the world (and number 23 in Britain), destroyed Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in straight sets on the first day of the annual tournament. Berankis is ranked 54th in the world.
In the process, Willis netted at least £50,000 ($66,000) -- way more than the £220 (or $290) he's earned for all of 2016 so far -- and a spot opposite Roger Federer in the second round.
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What's even more remarkable: Willis, who was reduced to crowdfunding his tours as his dream of becoming a pro seemed ever more distant, almost quit the game earlier this year.
In January he almost retired, but was persuaded by his girlfriend to keep trying.
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Fellow Brit Andy Murray was pleased with the result on a dismal day for Britain overall.
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Following his victory Monday, which saw him beat Berankis 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, Willis looked forward to his game with Federer.
"I'm going to go out there and try to win the tennis match," he told reporters. "I probably won't. I might not. But I'm going to give everything, as I have the last seven matches."
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Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
