His first at Wimbledon, Jules Marie will remember it. Ranked 230th at the ATP, the 32-year-old Frenchman, who shares his life behind the scenes of the secondary circuit via vlogs followed by nearly 125,000 people on his YouTube channel, has just had an eventful two days. Present on the waiting list for qualifying for the London Grand Slam, his ranking not allowing him to enter the table, the Norman tried by all possible means to make his way there.
Including directly on Instagram Andy Murray, whose participation in the tournament is very uncertain. Announced forfeiture by the British media on Sunday, the former world number one has not yet officially retired. His withdrawal would have allowed a qualifying player to enter the final draw, and therefore in turn, Jules Marie to play in the qualifying rounds.
“My friend, my GOAT, my idol. I am the first player on the substitutes list), is there any chance that you could withdraw from Wimbledon before 10am, that would allow me to play my first Wimbledon. THANKS. That would be my dream,” he wrote to the three-time Grand Slam winner on Sunday via a private message accompanied by a photo taken with the Scot, which he then republished in his personal story.
“A message with nerve”
A request not necessarily to the taste of all the followers of the tennis player-youtuber, forced to explain himself in a new Instagram story published at the start of the day to respond to negative feedback.
“My message to Andy caused a lot of laughter. Others less so, you can’t please everyone. Obviously, I had no bad intentions, he wrote. He was announced forfeit by all the media including the ATP (…) I said to myself that it was still a shame if he left at 11:10 a.m. instead of before 11 a.m. because I wouldn’t be able to play. »
“I don’t even know if he knows the rule because I don’t think he’s ever been in this situation. Two and a half years on the ATP circuit, toiling every week: being so close to the goal and potentially not achieving it within ten minutes was inconceivable just for a withdrawal from an official list, explains the right-hander. So a little cheeky message because if you don’t try, you get nothing. Finally, I read that his team denied the information. I wish Andy a good recovery and a good Wimbledon if he plays it. And for me, it will be next year without having to wait for a package »
Awaiting a possible withdrawal throughout the day, the Caennais walked the aisles of the Roehampton club, where the Wimbledon qualifiers are being played throughout the week, answering questions from local media intrigued by his story. The day finally ended well for Jules Marie. Thanks to the withdrawal of Calvin Hemery, the man with 18 titles on the Futures circuit was drafted and played his first round this Monday against Frenchman Luca Van Assche.
