The family of unknown British player Marcus Willis, who stunned Wimbledon yesterday by storming through his first round match, today shared their shock and joy at his dramatic victory.
Willis, 25, is ranked 772nd in the world and still coaches five-year-olds for £30 an hour. He beat world number 53 Ricardas Berankis in straight sets, becoming one of two Brits who made it through to the second round after six others crashed out.
His sister Chloe, a personal trainer, wrote, “Wow just wow. What a day” after she watched his victory on court with their younger brother, Willis’s girlfriend Jenny Bate, 30, and his parents Catherine, 47, and James, 49.
She added: “This is the person that used to turn everything in my room upside down.”
Cheering him on: Willis’s girlfriend Jenny Bate watches at WimbledonPAWillis, from Slough, now faces Roger Federer tomorrow. He wrote online: “Thanks so much for the support! Means the absolute world!” He added: “Best. Day. Ever.”
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Willis had only earned £213 so far this year from tennis. But after last night’s victory he is guaranteed £50,000 in prize money.
Peter Grant, tennis captain at the Warwick Boat Club where Willis is a coach, said: “We are elated for him, and for tennis in general. If someone can come from where he has been. That’s remarkable. It is quite a story. He’ll be playing Roger Federer. Think of that experience.”