There are late bloomers in tennis and then there is Italy's Giulia Gatto-Monticone who is making her Wimbledon debut at the age of 31.
Win or lose, it will be a Grand Slam bow to remember after the World No. 162 was drawn to face Serena Williams in the first round.
In 16 years on the circuit, Gatto-Monticone has banked just over $300,000 compared to 24-time Majors winner Williams' $88 million.
“I've made a lot of sacrifices, I can selfishly say that I deserve all this,” she told Spaziotennis blog. Her patience has paid off and a Tuesday date on Centre Court against the great American beckons.
Gatto-Monticone qualified for Roland Garros this year, becoming the oldest Grand Slam debutant since 43-year-old Renee Richards at the 1977 US Open.
Gatto-Monticone has credited her late-career boom with “wellness and taking up martial arts”.
