YouTuber Jules Marie adds Australian Open qualifying win to fairytale rise

From YouTube vlogger to Australian Open qualifying, Jules Marie’s documented story just keeps getting better.

At 32, Marie returned to the Grand Slam qualifying stages for the first time since 2015 on Tuesday. He delivered in a major way.

Taking on No. 12-seeded countryman Benoit Paire, Marie secured a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory—his first win in three career attempts following a pair of opening-round defeats in Roland Garros qualifying. His fighting spirit shone through, as the world No. 224 saved a set point in the opening tie-break and then stormed back to win the final five games of the second set.

The journey to this point is remarkable on its own and is one that saw Marie contest just nine tournaments over a six-year period when he all but stopped pursuing a career as a professional tennis player.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and twin brother Arthur launched a YouTube channel aimed at helping users find ways to improve their games without stepping on the court to play. The concept then evolved to documenting his participation at prize money events and serving as a practice partner for the likes of Novak Djokovic at 2021 Roland Garros, avenues that ultimately led Marie to realize his thirst for competition was still present while building a thriving following on the video platform.

On February 14, 2022, Marie was ranked No. 1156. By the end of that year, he returned to the Top 500.

As he surpassed 100,000 subscribers on YouTube during the 2023 season, Marie continued to build up his ranking. Thanks to four titles from eight M25 level finals, and a closing triumph at an M15 event in December, Marie set a then new-career high ranking of No. 226 in making the cutoff for the Australian Open qualifying draw.

For a shot at playing for a main-draw spot, Marie will first need to advance past Alexander Ritschard. The former University of Virginia standout, now 29, beat Marie’s countryman Clement Tabur, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

In other men’s results, Michael Mmoh, Diego Schwartzman and Juan Manuel Cerundolo were among the seeded casualties.

On the women’s side, former Australian Open quarterfinalist Hsieh Su-wei bid farewell to her singles career in a 7-6 (3), 6-4 defeat to No. 11 seed Anna Bondar. Australian No. 1 Arina Rodionova was also knocked out, 6-3, 6-4, by Leolia Jeanjean.