HHow many players started their careers in the back of a van? There may be only one Wimbledon event this year. Britain’s fifth-ranked Billy Harris, who last week secured a wild card into the tournament, achieved his first Grand Slam at the age of 29.
Ten years ago, opportunities were limited. After rising from juniors to the pros, Harris lacked the wherewithal to handle tennis like a superstar. “I didn’t have the money to fly every week in the beginning,” Harris told the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) last year. “So I thought: ‘The easiest way to travel around Europe is to drive.'”
Desperate to ignite his career, Harris stuffed a mattress into the back of a Ford Transit van and set out to play in Europe, armed only with his racquet stringing machine, a portable cooker and the game huge appetite. “The weeks in the van were definitely colder than the other weeks,” Harris said of his first foray into the grinding world of the Futures Tour, the lowest level in professional tennis.
“When I was in France—the first few weeks in the van—it was snowing and I would wake up and scrape the ice off of it. That was a wake-up call that I had to get somewhere warm as soon as possible.
He drove from northern France to southern Spain and then from Portugal to Poland, sleeping in McDonald’s parking lots in his van and cooking on the side of the road. At the time, the Manx native was ranked above 1,100 in the world. Beneath the glamorous surface of the Grand Slams, there are thousands of players trying to climb the ladder. But not everyone can afford to climb it. “It’s a big decision,” said Julian Cash, a close friend of Harris and a doubles player on the ATP Tour. “It shows the confidence he has in himself, the confidence his family has in him. It’s shaped his character now. That’s why he fights so hard – there’s nothing given to him.
Earning a few hundred euros per victory, he had no coaching budget. Until this year, Harris was still coached by her father, Jeff, who had no tennis background. LTA coach Colin Beecher has been assisting Harris with his training since February. “He was just one of those guys who kept playing and kept playing at a time when about 80 percent of people his age faded away and stopped playing tennis,” Beecher said. “But he didn’t do that. It’s a remarkable story.
As his status grew and sponsors added, Harris ditched the van in 2018 and began flying to races with his father. His career accelerated after recovering from career-threatening injuries and the tennis pandemic. In 2021, he started winning future championships, breaking into the top 500, and moving up a notch.
Since defeating Marc-Andrea Hussler at the Sofia Open in November (Harris’ first win at the ATP Tour level at age 28), things have been moving quickly. Harris earned £52,534 along the way after reaching the quarter-finals at Queen’s last week, beating world number 32 Thomas Martin Echeverry. Prior to this, he had won a total of £209,129 throughout his career. Harris came close to becoming the first Briton to reach the men’s singles final at Eastbourne on Friday, beating Australia’s Max Purcell 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the Rothesay International semi-finals. .
Newsletter Promotion Post
Harris possesses a ferocious serve and powerful groundstrokes, and Beecher believes he can continue the best form of his career at Wimbledon. “Physically, he’s kind of a specimen,” he said. “His forehand rotates more and his backhand is always a money-making opportunity. There’s no reason why he can’t make a difference at Wimbledon.
Winning a wild card to Wimbledon was the pinnacle of Harris’ grueling career. “It’s not like he’s been trying to get this honor since he was 20 years old,” Cash said. “He’s taken a step forward in the last few years and he deserves it. It’s great to see a guy like that find a way through the system. He didn’t get any help to get to where he is so that’s a lot of credit to him. .
