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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matthew Cooper

Andy Murray's Wimbledon opponent beat cancer after undergoing chemo when he was a year old

Andy Murray is set to face fellow Brit Ryan Peniston in the first-round at this year's Wimbledon, with the two-time champion missing out on a seeding.

Peniston, meanwhile, is ranked 267th in the world and was given a wildcard spot at this year's event having reached the second round last year, where he was eliminated by Steve Johnson Jr. Peniston earned his wildcard spot after making the second round at the Queen's Club Championships, Nottingham Open and the Surbiton Trophy earlier this month.

And the 27-year-old says he has a "different perspective on life than other tennis players", having been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer, when he was just one year old. Peniston ended up spending eight months in hospital and overcame the cancer after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy.

The treatment ended up stunting his growth when he was a child and Peniston admitted he was "about a foot smaller than all my peers" until he started growing at 15. Peniston is now an ambassador for the Young Lives vs Cancer charity and told BBC Look East: "I think I do have a different perspective on life than other tennis players because of what I've been through.

"My parents must have gone through hell. I look back and think how lucky I am to have a second chance at life. Thanks to a lot of amazing people, doctors and nurses, I'm able to sit here and the older I've got, the more I've appreciated what they did for me.

"The older I got I realised how big a deal it was, and what my parents went through. I don't have children myself, but I can only imagine what it must be like having doctors telling you your children have cancer.

"It's been a huge drive for me. Playing tennis, it gives me a different outlook on life. When I'm feeling down, I use it as inspiration and a source of strength and energy."

Peniston battled cancer after he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when he was just a year old (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

As far as playing at Wimbledon for a second consecutive year goes, Peniston says it is "special" and hopes he can provide "hope or inspiration" to other young children going through a similar battle with cancer. "Walking out at Wimbledon and fulfilling a lifelong dream feels special and it doesn't feel real," he added.

"I'm waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up. But I feel I'm not just playing for myself. I'm playing for people who are going through similar things and to give them hope, for anyone going through those troubles. If I can give them hope or inspiration for one second, it would mean a lot to me."

"I am a counter-puncher. I like to move my opponents around and use my opponent's strengths and weaknesses against them. Playing at Wimbledon for a second year in a row is special. I am so excited, I can't wait."

Should Murray overcome his fellow Brit, he faces a nightmare second-round test against Greek world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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