Wimbledon: Ahead of Roger Federer clash, Marcus Willis hopes to follow in Dan Evans' footsteps

Willis won three matches in a pre-qualifying for British players which earned him a wild card

Paul Newman
Wimbledon
Wednesday 29 June 2016 11:18 BST
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Marcus Willis faces an uphill task against Roger Federer
Marcus Willis faces an uphill task against Roger Federer

Whatever happens when Marcus Willis takes on Roger Federer in the second round here on Wednesday – and given the difference of 769 places in their world ranking there can surely be only one outcome - the 25-year-old will hope that he can follow in the footsteps of one of his best friends in tennis.

Dan Evans, who will also be playing in the second round after his victory over Jan-Lennard Struff earned a meeting with Alexandr Dolgopolov, was the world No 763 going into Wimbledon last year. The 26-year-old from Birmingham is now the world No 91 after 12 months of hard work.

“It’s possible,” Willis said when asked whether he could follow Evans’ example. “I have got a lot of improving to do still. It’s not going to be easy. It’s easy now because everyone is loving it at Wimbledon. I have to step away from here and I have got to improve. I have got to keep my head down and work. The moment I start getting complacent is the moment that I stay 772 in the world.”

He added: “I have always believed that my level has been good - though this good I don’t know. That’s the thing: you get there and you reset your goals. The guys are beatable. I have proved that. I have won seven matches in a row now against varied opponents. They were all good tennis players.

“I have to keep training very hard. I have a level of tennis and I need to do it week in, week out. I need to stay physically fit and stay in a good head space. As long as I am happy and enjoying tennis that is the main thing.”

Willis won three matches in a pre-qualifying competition for British players which earned him a wild card into last week’s qualifying event at Roehampton, where he won three more rounds to book his place in the main draw. Having beaten Ricardas Berankis, the world No 54, in his first match at a Grand Slam tournament, Willis now takes on Federer, seven times a champion here and arguably the greatest player in tennis history.

“If my mind is as good as it has been I will play good tennis,” Willis said as he looked forward to taking on the world No 3. “That’s the main thing. I want to put on a good show tomorrow. I am very aware it is not just another match but I have to treat it that way. I can’t be over-awed by the occasion.”

He has played only three five-set matches in his life but insisted: “I prefer [five sets]. You have got longer to work stuff out if you are in trouble. And if you’re not in trouble you just keep going. Yesterday everything went well. But I have got a good engine and physically, touch wood, I’m fit at the moment.”

Roger Federer believes he is not among the favourites to win at Wimbledon

After a good night’s sleep back at his parents’ home – he chose to go there rather than attempt to re-book himself into the hotel where he has already checked himself out several times – Willis was ready to prepare for his next match in the same way that he would against any other opponent.

“I will hit a load of balls, do cross-courts, do movements and stuff, get everything sharp,” he said. “I will do a few specifics. I’ll go and see the physio, get in the ice baths, get stretched out, get my body and mind right.”

Willis said he had watched Federer enough on television so that he did not need to watch any tapes of the Swiss, but added: “There will be specifics at the moment, things he’s doing better or worse than he normally is, but my coach will be looking at that.”

Another task for Willis was to find out how many tickets he could get for family and friends and how many places he would have available in his player box. His noisy group of supporters made their presence felt on Monday with their chanting, not to mention their bizarre ritual of holding shoes aloft.

Andy Murray left Willis a voicemail message on Monday evening, giving his congratulations and saying that he had watched the last two sets, while Miranda Hart was among those who congratulated him on Twitter. “It’s all very nice,” Willis said. “It’s an amazing experience for me. It’s overwhelming.”

The £50,000 that Willis has earned for reaching the second round almost doubles his career earnings. One of the reasons he has not competed in any professional events since a Futures tournament in Tunisia in January is because he has been unable to afford to do so.

Willis will face Federer this week as a huge underdog 

“I hurt my knee and basically I had had enough,” he said when asked why he had not played since then. “I had no money. I didn’t get out of bed. I was really down.”

As an illustration of how difficult it can be to make ends meet playing at that level Willis recalled a tournament he had played in Spain. “I won the singles and then lost the final in the doubles and my profit was 60 euros,” he said. “What am I going to do with that?

“You need to play the Futures to get to the Challengers and there you are playing top 100 guys. But there aren’t many in England any more so you have to travel - and you are £500 out of pocket before you are started.”

Asked if he thought Iceland’s victory over England in the European Championship gave him any reason for encouragement against Federer, Willis said: “I guess so. He is obviously heavy favourite and I’m not. But it’s a tennis match, the balls are round and I’m going to go out there and try to do a job.”

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