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As Eric Butorac dodged the London raindrops on his way to use the telephone Monday, he was stopped by some of the fans waiting for play to resume at Wimbledon. "It's fantastic," the Rochester native said. "Just walking around the grounds, people are asking me to sign autographs and take photos. I'm being treated like a star."

Quite a departure from the days when Butorac, 26, slept on floors and ate pasta with mayonnaise and ketchup while toiling in the lower levels of pro tennis. The Gustavus Adolphus College grad decided on a lark to pursue the athlete's life until he ran out of money. As half of the 38th-ranked men's doubles team in the world, he isn't likely to face that problem anytime soon.

Butorac and partner Jamie Murray, a Scotsman, entered Wimbledon as one of the most intriguing new duos in men's tennis.

They won their first two matches with little difficulty, including a four-set victory over No. 7 seeds Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram last Friday, and will play the third round later this week.

"It's been kind of a weird progression," said Butorac, who with Murray this year has won $129,314 and moved to 14th place in the ATP doubles standings. "To be here, living this life, was never the goal. I wasn't even planning on making the attempt. But things just kept falling into place.

"Jamie and I came out of nowhere this year, but we've gained a lot of confidence and keep getting better and better. We expected to do well [at Wimbledon]."

Butorac is playing the role of honorary Brit for the Wimbledon fortnight, thanks to his partnership with a native. The two have been showered with affection from the fans, given dozens of interviews and joined the company of the world's top players. Because Murray is a member of Britain's Davis Cup team, the pair is entitled to use the same locker room as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Pretty heady stuff for a former NCAA Division III champ. Butorac won the state Class AA singles title in 1999 at Rochester John Marshall and started his college career at Ball State before transferring to Gustavus for his final three seasons. A three-time All-America, he won national titles in singles and in doubles (with Kevin Whipple) in 2003.

That pair amassed a three-year record of 65-4 against D-III competition. Butorac always figured a D-III player had no shot at a serious pro career, but his standout senior season made him reconsider. At the suggestion of some friends, he set aside his plan to teach or attend grad school and headed for Europe to try out the Futures and Challenger circuits.

"I lived in the worst apartment ever, in the middle of France, and I could hardly afford to eat a sandwich," Butorac said. "There were a couple of times I was ready to hang it up. But every time I thought that, I'd have a breakthrough."

The francs often ran low, as Butorac's prize money in his early years included the princely sums of $130, $90, $247 and more than one $0. A victory in a 2005 Challenger tournament in Luxembourg brought him $4,650 and a wealth of confidence that led him to the ATP Tour.

Along the way, Butorac struck up a friendship with Murray. Both are tall (6-3), both are lefthanded, both deliver a serve like a cannon and both favor an aggressive and fast-paced style. In other words, they were perfect for each other.

Murray and Butorac joined forces in February and won three consecutive tournaments. They warmed up for Wimbledon with another victory, on the grass at Nottingham, England. As they gained attention for their play, they also attracted it for their unique personalities.

The two wear their nicknames -- "Booty" for Butorac, "Stretch" for Murray -- on the backs of their shirts. They answer fans' e-mails and blog frequently on their popular Web site, www.bootyandstretch.com, and they are unafraid to show emotion on the court.

Butorac and Murray had plenty of occasion for fist-pumping and high-fiving in recent days, with a straight-set victory over Oscar Hernandez and Potito Starace and a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Ram and Erlich. Butorac's parents -- mom Jan and dad Tim, a former Gustavus tennis champ and director of the Rochester Tennis Connection -- were on hand to see both matches.

Now that he's had a taste of strawberries and cream, Butorac can laugh about those budget meals of ketchup and mayo.

"I couldn't go back to that now," said Butorac, who also is playing mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Corina Morariu. "But even though I'm successful and making money, I wouldn't say I'm happier than I was then. I've had a great time the whole way.

"I figure if I was able to go from nowhere to No. 38, I've already made the tough jump. There's no reason we can't go to No. 1."