Ryan Peniston has been making waves in tennis over the past few years.
The 26-year-old is considered the biggest wildcard of the 2022 Wimbledon tournament as he makes his debut at the historic event today (June 28) with the schedule stacked.
To date, he has won a massive $221,866 (£181,171) in both singles and doubles, earning $95,444 (£77,937) from this year alone.
The good news for Ryan is that no matter what happens today, he has £50,000 secured as fourth round players earn that regardless of result.
However, it wasn’t always plain sailing for Ryan, as he previously battled cancer in childhood. It threatened to stop his entire tennis career, one that has seen him become a real talent on the sporting stage.
Ryan Peniston's cancer battle
When Ryan was just one, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer.
The cancer treatment slowed his growth as a child, seeing him undergo chemotherapy to remove the tumour.
He has since given some of his winnings to charity, donating his first prize money to St Bart’s in London after securing his International Tennis Federation title.
Speaking to Sky, he said: “It changed my life massively and affected my tennis career.
“I started growing really late, not until I was 15 or 16. Everyone else was massive and had huge serves, I was just this little kid trying to get the ball.
“It gives me a lot of strength now and puts things in perspective sometimes."
Ryan Peniston's world ranking
Due to the difficulties of his childhood, Ryan is a relative newcomer to tennis world championships.
Regardless, he is currently ranked No. 135 for the men’s singles.
He is representing the UK but has a very diverse background, coming from a Malaysian-born mum and half-English, half-Irish dad.
He then went to school in Nice, France before studying international business at the University of Memphis in the USA.
He is a left-handed player and stands at 6ft tall.
Who is Ryan Peniston playing against?
Ryan is going up against Swiss player Henri Laaksonen, the world 96 rank player.
The match will take place on Court 12 at 11am, though there could be some delays much like yesterday (Monday 27).
If Ryan wins, it will transform his world ranking and make him a serious contender in future tournaments.
