SW34 is TENNIS.com's Wimbledon blog that will provide on-site news, insight and commentary about a pair of legendary 34-year-olds, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, as they look to once again triumph at the All England Club.

LONDON—Though Marcus Willis is the one doubling as a teaching pro, Roger Federer was the one giving a clinic on Wednesday in their second-round match at Wimbledon.

Despite Federer’s respect for Willis’ unexpected journey to Centre Court, he showed no mercy and broke the Brit right away at the start of the first set.

While Willis was just happy—very, very happy—to be there, the Swiss had the pressure of facing a player ranked No. 772, as well as the pressure of a rare appearance from his parents, seated comfortably in the royal box.

“I had the pressure on my shoulders,” Federer said. “Even though I thought this was a pressure-free tournament, not so much today.”

Willis let out a big grin after every point he managed to win early in the match, and he even raised his arms in triumph after his first ace. It’s been all fairy tales and dreams come true for the Brit, but the contest turned grim quickly as Federer took the first set 6-0.

Federer maintained his poker face and played flawlessly throughout.

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“I felt very well-prepared,” Federer said. “I enjoyed it. I thought he played very well.  My approach going into the match was that I was playing a Top 50 guy, because that's how he is now, after just this particular week.”

It’s very unusual to see the well-liked Federer not buoyed on by the Centre Court crowd. He’s played underdogs before, but not at this magnitude, so the London crowd can be forgiven for only politely applauding his winning points.

“I always knew it was going to be a completely different match than anything I’ve played before at Wimbledon,” Federer said. “It’s always special to play here on Centre Court. For him it’s the first time. It’s like when I walked out against Pete [Sampras] in 2001. He had nothing to lose; just enjoy yourself, and Marcus did wonderful.”

Federer served exceptionally well, pocketing plenty of his service games with ease. Settling in to his rock-star stage, Willis got another game on the board with a service hold, looking more and more the part of a real pro rather than an awestruck fan.

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While much has been made of Willis’ deft hands, Federer’s were far smoother, and he’s notably faster around the grass than a still somewhat out-of-shape Willis. The 34-year-old carried on his dominance to take the second set 6-3.

Willis held to open the third set, and then held again to—can you believe it?—take the lead over Federer. The Swiss’ strong serving kept up, though, and he had no trouble keeping up with the more serious Willis—who by now had replaced his giddy grins with fist pumps—as the set wore on.

“Very different [match],” Federer said. “I thought Marcus brought some unbelievable energy to the court with his fans and with his play and personality. It was very refreshing to play with an opponent like that, who comes with the crowds and comes up with some great shot-making.”

Federer, biding his time patiently, got the critical break at 4-all.

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“I knew he could serve very well,” Federer said. “With his chipping and coming in, going for broke sometimes, it was always going to be a tricky match. But I was relieved when I got the break in the third … It was nice, but difficult in some ways.”

The match lasted just under 90 minutes, with a final scoreline of 6-0, 6-3, 6-4. Willis has got a lot to be proud of, and he has a memory he’ll cherish forever, including the part where he walked on court ahead of Federer and signed autographs alongside him after the match.

But all the focus should be back on where it belongs, on Federer and on his still questionable health moving forward.

“The grass is still very fresh, it’s difficult to move on it,” Federer said. “You still have to be careful so you don’t slip around it … I did very well. I’m happy to be on to the third round.”