Qualifier Chris Eaton earned £246 playing a tournament in Tipton earlier this year - but now the new British hero will fill Court One at Wimbledon when he takes on Russian 25th seed Dmitry Tursunov at teatime today.
The young man from Surrey is ranked 661 in the world yet is sounding remarkably relaxed as he bids to make it into the third round.
It is worth reminding that he had to play six qualifying matches just to make round one on Monday, when he beat Serbia’s Boris Pashanski in straight sets.
Pashanski came into the match ranked 547 places above him.
The 20-year-old Eaton – who still lives with his parents – does not intend to get carried away with the hype.
He said: “I am still trying to keep it low key. I don’t really feel the pressure at the moment.
“It’s not like I’m expected to win today but I expect myself to put in another great performance.
“I’m quite a relaxed guy. I like to stay relaxed on the court, just let my personality and my tennis deal with everything else.”
Eaton, who went to the same school as former British number one Tim Henman, hopes to use the partisan crowd to his advantage.
He said: “If they’re enjoying themselves, I’m going to enjoy myself. If I’m enjoying myself, I’m going to play some good tennis.”
The underdog will be cheered on by 11,000 against Tursunov – a far cry from Tipton, the qualifying rounds and also Monday – when hundreds packed into the tiny Court Number 3 to see him win.
Should Eaton do the unthinkable and progress, the Wimbledon faithful will be faced with the unusual challenge of thinking up a new alliterative name for what was once Henman, Hill and is currently Murray Mount – the grassy bank facing the venue’s giant video screen.
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