Warwick's Marcus Willis dreaming of a return to Wimbledon

Warwick local Marcus Willis described said experience as something "he always wanted to do as a kid" and hopes, after claiming his 5th $25K doubles title since his comeback, a return to SW19 could be in the not-so-distant future.

"It was a bit of a media storm!" joked Willis. "I knew I had the ability to do it; I just didn't think it would happen in that space of time.

"It was a great few weeks, and it's nice for me to look back and think, yeah, I got something out of my career."

Willis announced his retirement in early 2021, citing financial reasons.

"I remember playing in Greece at a $15K [tournament] and losing in the quarterfinals, picking up 40 euros, and paying probably a thousand pounds for the trip.

"I thought it's time to stop because I was running out more than anything.

"Unless you come from a rich family, it's hard; you're looking at 500 quid before you've even hit a ball."

Willis ended his hiatus in July 2022 after testing his level in exhibition events where he rediscovered the tools that inspired that historic Wimbledon run seven years ago.

The Warwick Boat Club member now concentrates on doubles competition, in which he claimed his 31st career title in Nottingham this month alongside Austrian Neil Oberleitner.

"It's very high energy, and you can sometimes win or lose off luck. It's dramatic, and you're bouncing off your partner, so there's a better vibe than being out there by yourself.

"It's a positive thing to talk about [2016], but I've got to focus on my doubles and try and make new memories.

"My end goal remains the same, I want to be in the top 100 in the world, and I want to try and play as many slams as I can."

The 32-year-old is targeting challenger events to catapult his ranking and edge closer to his goal of playing on the hallowed All-England lawn once more before he calls time for definite