World No.3 Roger Federer says he is engrossed by Marcus Willis' fairytale story ahead of their Wimbledon Second Round clash on Wednesday afternoon.
Willis, ranked 772 in the ATP rankings, triumphed over Lithunian Ricardis Berankis 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in his First Round match.
The Brit was forced to negotiate six qualifying ties to make it to progress through to the First Round and was on the verge of calling it quits on his tennis career at the turn of the year.
Federer conveys admiration
"I think it's one of the best stories in a long time in our sport," noted the former World No.1.
"This is the kind of stories we need in our sport."
Federer booked his place in the next round with a straight sets victory over Argentine Guido Pella, who made a fist of it on Centre Court.
Federer, owner of a record 17 Grand Slam titles, says he is "excited" to come up against the world No. 772 because it's not something "that happens often".
Swiss star must remain focused
Federer needs no reminder that the early rounds at the All England Club contain a multitude of pitfalls having fell to Ukrainian underdog Sergiy Stakhovsky in 2013 and has reaffirmed his determination to halt Willis' progress on Wednesday.
The Swiss admires Willis' serve and volley foundations and believes his game is "perfectly suited for these kind of conditions right now".
Federer's aspirations for this year's championships have been dashed by a spate of injuries but, like Willis, hopes he can put on a show to entertain those in attendance.
"I hope he can play as good as he can and that I also can play a good match and everybody enjoys themselves," he concluded.
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, faces Adrian Mannarino, who defeated fellow Brit Kyle Edmund on Monday.