British tennis player and world number 772 Marcus Willis drew inspiration from Surbiton Racket & Fitness Club when he took on former world number one Roger Federer at the Wimbledon Championships this week.
The 25-year-old, coached by the club’s head of performance tennis Matt Smith, beat Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis - the world number 54 - 6-3 6-3 6-4 in SW19 on Monday to set up a dream second round clash with the Swiss legend.
Where it started: Marcus Willis' coach Matt Smith is head of performance tennis at Surbiton Rackets & Fitness Club
Willis, who won six qualifying matches to reach the main draw, was sent home from the Australian Open junior event nine years ago for disciplinary reasons and was a self-confessed overweight loser before hooking up with Smith.
But the magic ran out as he was crushed 6-0 6-3 6-4 by the former champion on centre court on Wednesday, although his exit was sweetened by the £50,000 prize money he pocketed from his remarkable run.
“I was a bit of a loser. I was overweight. I was seeing off pints,” he said after Monday's win.
“My lifestyle wasn’t good. I didn’t have the drive. But I found it three years ago.
“I worked very hard with my coach in Surbiton. Ridiculous times in the morning. Ran myself into the ground.”
He added: “It’s an amazing dream come true. I get to play on a stadium court. This is what I dreamed of when I was younger.”
Out: Brydan Klein crashed out of the singles at the hands of Nicolas Mahut, but still has the men's doubles to look forward to at SW19
Kingston-based British tennis player Brydan Klein lost 6-7 4-6 4-6 to Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in the first round at the Wimbledon Championships on Monday.
“I did the best I could and I’m happy with the way I played,” he said.
“Obviously I would have liked to win and I would have liked to have played a little bit better and maintained that first step, but it wasn’t to be.”
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