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World No. 772 continues Wimbledon fairy tale into second round

Marcus Willis has advanced to Wimbledon's second round. (Reuters)
Marcus Willis has advanced to Wimbledon's second round. (Reuters)

Just a few short months ago, Marcus Willis was ready to quit tennis.

Now, the 25-year-old is moving on to Wimbledon’s second round in the midst of an improbable underdog run.

The Brit, who owns an ATP ranking of 772, defeated Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 Monday after fighting through pre-qualifying and qualifying rounds to even get to the tournament’s main draw.

Before Wimbledon, Willis had played in just one tournament this year, a January event in Tunisia. He reached the quarterfinals and netted just $356.

With his prospects of breaking through to the next level growing slimmer, Willis considered hanging it all up and taking a coaching position in Philadelphia. But something changed.

“I was adamant I was going to go to America to coach,” Willis told the New York Times. “I had called up someone about the visa — and then I met a girl. She basically told me I was an idiot and that I should keep going, and I’m very grateful for that.”

He received the very last slot in a Wimbledon’s wild-card playoff, and won six matches to break through into the main draw.

There, Willis faced off against the Berankis, the world No. 53. Willis didn’t let the enormity of the moment get the best of him. He turned the energy of the crowd into a straight-set victory, celebrating at every point along the way.

Though, the party really began after he served to complete the upset. Willis did celebratory laps around the court and made sure to acknowledge his friends, his girlfriend and his mom in the crowd.

Willis' dentist girlfriend, Jenny Bates, wasn't even supposed to be able to make his match, but she ran into a bit of good luck herself.

"I went in, ready for the day, saw the first patient and the suction wasn't working very well," she told a reporter after the match. "So we tried to empty it, get it sorted. Because you do, you scurry get everything sorted when there's patients waiting. I found my boss and said, 'What do we do? Is there a portable suction? What can we do?' and he said 'No, we have to get an engineer in.' So secretly I was like, 'Yes!' But I said maybe I can see exams for the rest of the day ... But they said just no, just cancel the rest of your day."

Willis’ win earned him a guaranteed $62,000 and a second-round date with Roger Federer, perhaps on Centre Court.

“This is my dream,” Willis told commentators after the match. “This is what I’ve worked hard for and it’s finally playing off.