Roger Federer hailed Marcus Willis as one of the great Wimbledon fairy tales after the British qualifier set up a dream clash with the seven-time champion. Just months ago Willis, ranked 706 in the world, was considering calling time on a professional career but, persuaded to give tennis one last shot, Willis battled through to the main draw at Wimbledon via a series of qualifying matches before claiming a stunning first round win over world number 54 Ricardas Berankis. Just hours later Federer defeated Guido Pella to give the unknown Briton an unthinkable meeting with the legendary Federer. “It’s one of the best stories in a long time in our sport,” Federer said. “This is the kind of story we need. I think it’s great.”
