Journeyman tennis player Billy Harris goes from van life to Wimbledon debut

LONDON (AP) — Billy Harris couldn’t pull off the upset at Queen’s Club. He’s still winning, though.

Harris earned about $153,000 for reaching the quarterfinals on Friday. He’ll pick up about $76,000 when he makes his Wimbledon singles debut.

Not bad for a guy who drove around Europe in a van — sometimes sleeping in it — to save money while playing in lower-tier tournaments earlier in his career.

The 29-year-old British player’s total career earnings until now had been $293,791, according to the ATP.

Harris’ run at Queen’s Club came to an end against Lorenzo Musetti by 6-3, 7-5.

Despite the loss, Harris will move into the top 150 in next week’s rankings. He’s currently 162nd, a career high.

He received a wild-card entry for Wimbledon this week.

The extra cash, Harris said, will “definitely help” and, who knows, he might even invest in another van. The 6-foot-4 (1.93-meter) Harris drives a Mini Cooper.

“It’s a bit tight. I get in and out of a van a bit easier.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

The Associated Press