WIMBLEDON -- British qualifier Marcus Willis went to sleep Tuesday night knowing he would play Roger Federer on Centre Court and thinking it just doesnt get any better than this.Then it did.Spitting rain caused officials to close the stadiums 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 pros 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 Ill remember. Federer said. I start forgetting some, but this one will stand out because its that special -- and probably not going to happen again for me to play against a guy 770 [officially No. 772] in the world.Federer didnt begrudge a single hopeful voice raised in the underdogs cause.Im 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, dont-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, Ive never seen it, really. Im not a massive film-watcher. Im 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 mens 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, havent 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 youve got no time, Willis said. He puts a lot of balls on the court in big points. You cant leave the ball anywhere short or high. Its just gone. Hes 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, dont forget the challengers are brutal; so are the futures. When he gets stuck between 200 and 500, 600, 700, its 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? Nike Dunks For Sale .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Nike Sb Dunk High Cheap . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. http://www.nikedunkscheap.com/nike-dunk-mid-shoes.html . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. [url=",http://www.nikedunkscheap.com/nike-dunk-sb-shoes.html]"Nike Sb Dunk Wholesale[/url] .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Nike Sb Dunk Low Cheap . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Game on.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Wednesday formally legalizing daily fantasy sports in the Empire State and handing the embattled industry its biggest victory to date.Fantasy operators that were active in New York before Nov. 10, 2015 must receive a temporary permit from the New York Gaming Commission before reopening for business. The process isnt expected to take long, and FanDuel and DraftKings, the two leading daily fantasy operators, expect to be up and running in New York before the NFL season kicks off in early September, if not sooner.Daily fantasy sports have proven to be popular in New York, but until now have operated with no supervision and no protections for players, Cuomo said in a release. This legislation strikes the right balance that allows this activity to continue with oversight from state regulators, new consumer protections, and more funding for education.Cuomos signature gives closure to a tenuous nine months for the industry that began with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman charging FanDuel and DraftKings with illegal gambling and attempt to shut them down. The sites eventually settled with the attorney general and in March stopped operating in New York, one of fantasy sports largest revenue-producing states.This success in New York speaks to the strength and passion of our players who stood up and made their voices heard -- and their elected leaders responded, FanDuel CEO?Nigel Eccles said Wednesday in a statement.On behalf of everyone at DraftKings, we look forward to welcoming New Yorkers back and are excited that fans in some of the greatest sports towns in the woorld will once again be playing the fantasy sports contests they love, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said in his own statement.ddddddddddddOn June 18, in an extended and heated legislative session that lasted until 2 a.m., the New York Senate voted to pass the fantasy sports bill. Cuomo waited seven weeks to sign the bill, during which passionate fantasy supporters rallied to sway lawmakers with emails, social media messages and phone calls.According to research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, New York residents were responsible for $268.3 million in entry fees in 2015, second behind only California. Industry advocate Fantasy for All estimates more than three million New Yorkers participate in fantasy sports.Im thrilled, said New York Assemblyman Dean Murray, one of the fantasy sports bills co-sponsors. Now, if youll excuse me, I have to go work on my lineup.New York is the eighth state to pass legislation clarifying the legality of fantasy sports this year. Several states remain in limbo, though, including Texas and Illinois. FanDuel has stopped paid games in Texas, while DraftKings is in the middle of a legal battle with state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both sites have sued Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who issued an opinion that daily fantasy violates state gambling laws. FanDuel and DraftKings remain active in Illinois.In New York, FanDuel and DraftKings still face charges of false advertising and consumer fraud. Schneiderman says he will continue to move forward with those claims. ' ' '
