Sports
Billy Harris' tennis journey takes him from the Isle of Man to living in a van in Europe to Wimbledon
LONDON (AP) For tennis player Billy Harris, it's all about the journey. Harris lost his Wimbledon debut on…
LONDON (AP) For tennis player Billy Harris, it's all about the journey.
Harris lost in his Wimbledon debut on Tuesday, but he's won some fans along the way. That's bound to happen when your backstory involves leaving your home on the Isle of Man to live in a van while playing tennis tournaments across Europe.
Harris made his Grand Slam debut at the age of 29, losing to Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the All England Club.
Great feeling at the beginning. But when you lose, it's not quite the same, Harris said matter-of-factly.
His paydays aren't quite the same these days either. Harris earned about $76,000 for his first-round loss, and he will also play doubles with Liam Broady starting Wednesday. Harris' career prize money total was previously just over $400,000.
It’s certainly taken longer than most people to get here. It’s been a long journey, Harris, who is ranked a career high of No. 116 and hasn’t lived on the bus in a number of years, said at a news conference before the tournament began.
Earlier in his career, Harris spent more than three years driving his white Ford Transit van around Europe to save money while playing in lower-level tournaments.
Harris and his father built a wooden frame for a bed in the bus.
He told me the story, Broady said. He stopped in Dover on the way to mainland Europe and got three months’ worth of canned tuna and Uncle Ben’s rice. That was all he could live on for three months. There aren’t many people who would have been prepared to make the sacrifices Billy made.
Luke Lacey cheered on his childhood friend as Harris won the third set and didn't leave empty-handed. He said Harris is a huge inspiration to kids on the Isle of Man.
The Isle of Man has a population of 84,000 and is located in the Irish Sea, between Northern Ireland and the northwest of England. Cyclist Mark Cavendish is from there.
It was a lot of boat trips to Liverpool, Harris said of his early days. There aren't that many players to train with on the Isle of Man.
Harris retired from camper life in his early twenties after an exceptionally long stint in Poland.
My father used it for a while, but then the engine blew up and that was the end, he said about the fate of the van.
The 1.93-meter-tall Harris now drives a Mini Cooper.
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AP Tennis reporter Howard Fendrich contributed to this report.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
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