Babe, set and match for tennis ace
Cheering wife Jenny at Wimbledon last year WIMBLEDON tennis star Marcus Willis is all smiles after becoming a father for the first time.
The British star, who won the hearts of the nation during a courageous Centre Court defeat to the legendary Roger Federer last year, said he “couldn’t be a prouder father or husband”.
He posted a heartwarming picture of his little girl Martha May Willis on Instagram, and said becoming a dad with his dental nurse wife Jenny was a “dream come true”.
Marcus, 26, was ranked 772 in the men’s division when he defeated then-world number 54 Ricardas Berankis in the first round at Wimbledon last year to set up an unlikely clash against Swiss superstar Federer. Despite losing the second-round match 6-0, 6-3, 6-4, his spirit – and footage of Jenny proudly cheering him on – made him a big favourite with tennis fans.
Following the birth at Warwick Hospital, he posted: “Mummy and baby are doing great, couldn’t be a prouder father and husband.”
Little Martha, who is believed to have been conceived after Marcus’s Wimbledon heroics, was born six days late. Marcus, from Slough, Berkshire, added: “Wimbledon was amazing but this is the best thing to come out of it.”
Now ranked 408, he is targeting a place in Britain’s Davis Cup team.