For tennis player Billy Harris, it's all about the journey. Harris lost in his debut on Tuesday but he's won over some fans at the same time. That'll happen when your back story involves leaving home on the Isle of Man to live out of a van while playing tennis tournaments around Europe.
Making his Grand Slam debut at the age of 29, Harris lost to Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the All England Club. “Great feeling at the start. Then obviously when you lose, it's not quite the same,” Harris said in matter-of-fact fashion.
His paydays are not quite the same these days, either. Harris earned for his first-round loss, and he's also playing doubles starting on Wednesday with Liam Broady. Harris' career prize money total beforehand was just over $400,000.
“Definitely, it took me a lot longer than most people to get here. It’s been a long journey,” Harris, who is at a career-high ranking of No. 116 and several years removed from living in the van, said at a news conference before the tournament started.
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 van. “He told me the story,” Broady said.
“He stopped off in Dover on the way to mainland Europe and picked up three months’ worth of canned tuna and Uncle Ben’s rice. That’s all he lived off for three months. There’s not many people who w.