Marcus Willis on the moment his life changed against Roger Federer

He was part of a fairy tale story that created headlines around the world and Marcus Willis admits meeting with Roger Federer at Wimbledon changed his life in an instant.

It was the summer of 2016 and Willis had come through qualifying to raise his dream of playing in the main draw at the All England Club.

After beating a young Daniil Medvedev in the final round of qualifying, the Brit went on to win his first round match at Wimbledon against Ricardas Berankis to set up a dream meeting with Roger Federer on Centre Court.

The fairy tale story of Willis making it through qualifying and playing one of the game’s all-time greats ignited media interest around the world, with his girlfriend Jennifer Bate featuring alongside the Brit in TV and magazine interviews around the world.

Six years on, Willis spoke to Tennis365 about the summer that threw him into the brightest of spotlights.

“It was quite a big story, something quite rare and it was great to be a part of it,” said Willis, speaking to Tennis365 as he competed in a ITF World Tour doubles event in Greece.

“I got a wild card into qualifying and then got to play Federer in the second round, so there was some luck attached to story, but deep down I always knew I could do it.

“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.

“It was tough, it was physical and even now, people talk to me about the lob I got on him.

“The media was a bit of a frenzy. That’s what the media is like. It was a great story. I was absolutely loving it.

“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.”

Willis was considering calling a halt to his playing career ahead of that Wimbledon appearance, as a lack of wins and injury issues diluted his ambitions.

Yet he will always be grateful for having a shot at the greatest Wimbledon champion of them all and producing a lob that brought the Centre Court to their feet.

“I was thinking of stopping playing tennis. I had a few injuries and I was thinking of taking a job in America,” he said.

“I would have been really gutted that I never got to play Wimbledon. I won a round of qualifying when I was 19 and I did really well there in juniors two years in a row. 

“I had the ability to do it and in the end I proved it, but just not in the way I thought it would.

“Relieved may be the wrong word, but I had great belief then. I lost to Federer and I was annoyed.

“I didn’t have a very straightforward path, but I’m so glad that I got to have my moment.”

Willis was eventually beaten 6-0 6-3 6-4 by the great Federer, with the third and fourth sets highlighting how competitive he was on the biggest stage of them all.

Now 32, Willis is aiming to make a Wimbledon comeback in 2023 as he looks to make a rapid rise up the ATP doubles rankings.

And he has already broken into the top 500 after a run of wins in the second half of this year.

“Playing at Wimbleodn was everything I wanted to do as a kid and it’s something I think I can do again,” added Willis.

“If I can compete there again and win more matches, then that’s a dream come true.

“Then I’d love to play the US Open and play every Grand Slam. That’s my real goal. I’ve only ever played the junior events in the Slams so I’d like to do that now.

“I don’t see a reason why I can’t do it. My goal was to get back to Wimbledon in two years and now it could potentially be one.”

He may never match the romance of his story from Wimbledon in 2016, but there may yet be more tales to add to the Marcus Willis story.