WIMBLEDON -- British qualifier Marcus Willis went to sleep Tuesday night knowing he would play Roger Federer on Centre Court and thinking it just doesn't get any better than this.
Then it did.
Spitting rain caused officials to close the stadium's roof Wednesday morning, transforming Centre Court into a luminous, shimmering soap bubble in which serves and forehands echo like cannon fire in a Thunderdome.
The indoor atmosphere helped Willis, who has a big serve. His riveting backstory made the crowd love him way beyond the mere fact of his being British. Even Federer loved Willis' story, but that only helped to a point. Federer ultimately burst the teaching pro's bubble with an entertaining 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 win that left everyone satisfied and feeling good about themselves.
Given all the British have been through in recent days -- what with Brexit and the shocking beating the English soccer team suffered at the hands of Iceland -- that was quite an achievement. Credit Willis with a huge assist to Federer.
When you win 17 Grand Slam tournaments, you get a feeling for special moments.
"As I was playing, I was thinking, 'This is definitely one of the matches I'll remember.'" Federer said. "I start forgetting some, but this one will stand out because it's that special -- and probably not going to happen again for me to play against a guy 770 [officially No. 772] in the world."
Federer didn't begrudge a single hopeful voice raised in the underdog's cause.
"I'm sure I got less support probably back in 1999 when I got the wild card on Court 8, lost in five sets, because nobody cared," Federer said. "But Willis deserved more. He deserved more in the bigger moments. He played some great points. He fought hard. Great personality for a Centre Court like this."
Willis is a roguish, self-deprecating 25-year-old who lives with his parents. ("Living the life," he quipped the other day.) A droll, don't-worry-be-happy kind of guy, he was a promising junior who delivered mostly trouble and a poor attitude. On one occasion, it got him sent home early from a trip to Australia.
He ultimately decided that training was too draining. He planned to migrate to Philadelphia, but then he met his current girlfriend, who convinced him to stay.
When told his story sounds like the plot of the rom-com movie "Wimbledon" Willis said, "I've never seen it, really. I'm not a massive film-watcher. I'm quite fidgety."
A few weeks ago, working a job at the Warwick Boat Club in Warwickshire earning about 40 bucks an hour, Willis founds out he was accepted as the last man into Wimbledon pre-qualifying. Seven matches later, he was looking across the net at the all-time men's Grand Slam singles champion. He described the experience as "surreal."
"I did look up twice as I bounced the ball and saw Roger Federer, and thought, 'Oh, haven't seen this before,'" Willis said.
Willis says his own tennis ruination was partly because of his weakness for "seeing off too many pints."
But Willis got religious after wasting a few good years, and he showed enough class here to feel hopeful for the future.
Against Federer, the first set was an education. For a journeyman, playing against the Swiss maestro is like having to watch a movie in fast forward.
"He makes you feel like you've got no time," Willis said. "He puts a lot of balls on the court in big points. You can't leave the ball anywhere short or high. It's just gone. He's just ridiculous."
Once Willis shed his jitters and adjusted, though, his heavy serve and duplicitous lefty spins and dinks served him pretty well.
"He has a nice serve," Federer said. "I struggled reading it, especially on the ad side. He was doing a great job of mixing that up. I believe he can make big strides. But then again, don't forget the challengers are brutal; so are the futures. When he gets stuck between 200 and 500, 600, 700, it's a big step getting out of that."
Such realistic concerns are best left for another time. On this gloomy day at Wimbledon, reformed slouch Marcus Willis brought a little magic into the life of everyone, including Roger Federer.
And how many people can make that claim?