I have earned myself a beer - Willis

Marcus Willis was looking forward to rewarding himself with a drink after his dream run at Wimbledon ended with a straight-sets defeat to Roger Federer on Wednesday.

World number 772 Willis came through six qualifying matches and a first-round tie against Ricardas Berankis, a player ranked 718 places above him, to earn an unforgettable meeting with the most prolific winner of men's grand slam singles titles.

Although Federer took less than an hour and a half to wrap up a 6-0 6-3 6-4 victory, the flamboyant performance of Willis drew frequent cheers from a partisan crowd, as the underdog fired 24 winners and exhibited flashes of brilliance.

After leaving Centre Court to warm applause, Willis told BBC Sport: "I have earned myself a beer now."

Assessing his performance, which gradually improved after Federer had taken the first seven games, the 25-year-old added. "I am disappointed to lose. I didn't play as well as I could but I can hold my head high.

"It is daunting. It is tough. I was playing alright at first, I settled into the match. I was enjoying it out there. If I was playing well and competing with Roger for a couple of sets I was doing well.

"I need to keep my head down. I have had a fantastic couple of weeks. I will keep going and do what I have been doing.

"There is life after Wimbledon and I want more experiences like this."

Willis will earn £50,000 for his efforts at the All England Club, comfortably the biggest cheque of his career to date.