Marcus Willis is hoping to secure a return to Wimbledon after his remarkable rise to fame there last year.
Willis was about to give up on tennis but was persuaded to carry on by his girlfriend, a decision that saw him play Roger Federer on Centre Court.
The 26-year-old is hoping to be granted a wildcard to allow him to return to the scene of his greatest triumph this year, without the need to go through qualifying, with a Wimbledon committee deciding on June 20 if he will receive one.
“It felt like I was on court for about five minutes,” Willis said of his 6-0 6-3 6-4 second-round defeat to Federer.
“Time flies by when you’re having fun – or being beaten up. It’s crazy the more you think about it.”
As for the chances of earning a wildcard, Willis added: “I’m not confident but hopeful. I’d really appreciate that.
“It was a big story last year, the media attention is going to be big, so they might give me one.
“I genuinely think I can win some matches. It would bring back some memories, which would be sweet. If not, I’ll try and make my way through qualies again.”
Willis’ ranking of 772 last year should have seen him miss out even on pre-qualifying but another player withdrew.
Three wins earned him a wild card into qualifying proper, where his grass-court experience helped secure victories over Yuichi Sugita, Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev, all ranked hundreds of places higher.
“I wasn’t expecting anything because I hadn’t hit a ball on grass,” said Willis.
“I was hoping to pre-qualify but I had a tough draw there as well so I did really well to get through that. Each match was just a bonus, it was awesome.
“I didn’t think I was going to win my last round of qualifying. I had a horrible draw, so I was just pleasantly surprised every time I won.
“Once I qualified and I came off that court and there were 200 people with microphones, that’s when I realised, ‘Oh, I’ve done something here’.”
Willis’ story made headlines around the world and for his first-round match against Ricardas Berankis on one of Wimbledon’s smallest courts, leaving spectators desperate to get a glimpse of him in action.
Berankis was bewildered by the occasion and Willis’ unorthodox game, and a straight-sets win earned the then British No 23 his date with Federer.
“The atmosphere was crazy, it’s what tennis needs I think,” he added. “It certainly hasn’t been like that at Wimbledon before. It was fun for everyone to be a part of. Not just myself.”
