Marcus Willis labels his defeat to Roger Federer at Wimbledon as a “life-changing” moment
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Roger Federer and Marcus Willis (Image: ATP Tour)
Marcus Willis, a former British professional player was a part of the fairy tale story that created headlines around the world in the summer of 2016. After winning six matches to qualify for the main draw of the 2016 Wimbledon Championship, Willis upset Ricardas Berankis in the first round, setting up a dream meeting with Roger Federer on Centre Court.
The extraordinary story of Willis making it through qualifiers, upsetting a player ranked more than 700 places above him in the first round and meeting one of the game’s all-time greats kindled a lot of media frenzy globally. That’s not all, more interestingly, his girlfriend was even featured alongside the Brit in TV and magazine interviews around the world, eliciting a plethora of reactions online.
Fast forward to the present time, Willis talked about the moment that brought him to global attention.
“My life changed the next day. I was on morning TV, Hello magazine followed me around for a bit and it was awesome a new experience,” Wilis said while talking to Tennis 365 about the impact the match had on his life.
“It all happened so quickly. I don’t remember the coin toss or the first point… I remember being 6-0 down very quickly. Then I was in a dogfight in the second set and I just went with it.” Willis further added while reminiscing the important moments of the match. On life after the match, Willis said that it changed altogether. “
My life changed the next day. I was on morning TV, Hello magazine followed me around for a bit and it was awesome a new experience,” he explained.
The match ended with Federer defeating Willis in straight sets, but for the latter, meeting Federer itself was a great joy. Willis then retired from singles but he is still active in the doubles arena. With that being said, the tennis star is aiming to make a comeback in Wimbledon 2023.
Marcus Willis: Career Highlights
British professional player Marcus Willis made his debut at the 2016 Wimbledon Championship after qualifying for the main draw where he met the Swiss legend Roger Federer, where latter prevailed by 6-0, 6-3, 6-4. He achieved his highest ranking No. 322 back on June 2014. He also played Doubles partnering with Jay Clarke at 2017 Wimbledon and the pair reached the third round of men’s doubles.
On March 4 last year, the Briton, who last played an official tournament in June 2018, shared the news on social media that he was retiring, 25 years after he first picked up a racquet. However, Willis resumed playing doubles in 2022 on the ITF tour winning the ITF 25k tournament in Madrid, Spain on September 2022.
“It’s time to say, game, set, and match,” he wrote on social media when he announced the news.
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