It didn't take a mathematician to figure out that Wednesday's Wimbledon match between Roger Federer (arguably the best tennis player of all time) and Marcus Willis (who?) was going to be a blow-out. But Willis, ranked No. 772 in the world, embraced his 250-1 odds with a delightful sense of humor:
Still, the gap between the players was so glaring that ESPN actually ran a graphic comparing how many houses each player owns (Federer has three and Willis, well, he lives with his parents, so he's got zero). Still, Willis, who had all but given up his professional career earlier this year, was all smiles over the chance to play the tennis legend who he has never even spoken to in his life.
It's hard not to be totally charmed by Willis' attitude. "I'm not sure [Federer] can play on grass. That's good," he joked earlier this week. The Snickers bar-devouring athlete added, "No, 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."
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Second set: Federer* 6-0, 6-3 Willis But Federer wastes little time in wrapping up the second set. Willis is beaming away here — he's enjoyed every one of the 52 minutes this match has lasted. [The Guardian]
While Federer finally won 6-0, 6-3, 6-4, if there was a Wimbledon for good sports, the world champion would be obvious.
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