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Jules Marie, a former professional tennis player ranked world No. 203 by the ATP, stepped away from the ATP Tour in March 2025 to embark on a bold career switch to padel. At 33, this French tennis player and content creator with over 130,000 subscribers on YouTube embodies the new wave of players drawn to this rapidly expanding sport in France. Ranked 64th in France in January 2026, he is pursuing his ambitious goal of breaking into the top 10 and making the French national team.
The story of an exceptional sporting transition
Jules Marie's transition to padel is far more than a simple switch of sports. It marks the culmination of an eventful career as a professional tennis player, highlighted by impressive runs on the ATP Tour and relentless determination. Today, this player from Normandy channels his experience and technical skill into a new venture that could take him all the way to the French national padel team.
A remarkable tennis journey
Promising beginnings
Born on 1 September 1991 in Caen, Jules Marie took up tennis at an early age. In 2004, playing for the Mondeville club, he already held a 15/3 ranking at just 13 years old. His progress was meteoric: in 2009, with a -4/6 ranking, he qualified for the French Championships for 17–18 year-olds at Roland-Garros.
The year 2010 marked a turning point in his career: ranked -30, he helped the French university tennis team win the World Championship title, claiming a singles and a doubles win in the final against the United States. He ended the year at No. 780 in the ATP rankings, signalling his arrival on the professional tour.
The years on the ATP circuit
Between 2011 and 2025, Jules Marie competed on the ATP circuit, playing regular Futures and Challenger tournaments. In 2012, he won his first Futures titles in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The year 2014 stood out as a highlight with four Futures titles and a memorable experience as a hitting partner at the London Masters, where he practised with his idol, Roger Federer.
In 2015, he reached the world No. 228 spot, his best ranking at the time, before taking a break due to the costs of the international circuit. He then limited himself to French tournaments while pursuing physiotherapy studies and giving tennis lessons at the Montrouge club.
The YouTube phenomenon and the comeback
In 2019, Jules Marie relaunched his career spectacularly by documenting his daily life on the Futures and Challenger circuit on his YouTube channel. His "Objectif Grand Chelem" project became a success, enabling him to fund his dream while sharing the behind-the-scenes world of professional tennis with unprecedented transparency.
His victory at the Caen Open in December 2021 against David Goffin, then world number 39, definitively reignited his ambitions. In 2024, he reached his career-high ATP ranking of world number 203, fulfilling his dream of competing in qualifying at Grand Slam tournaments.
In qualifying for the Australian Open in January 2024, he defeated Benoît Paire (7-6, 6-4) in the first tour, claiming his first win in Grand Slam qualifying. In February, at the Tenerife II Challenger 75, he reached the semi-finals, coming within touching distance of the ATP top 200.
The decision to step away from tennis
In early 2025, at 33 years old, Jules Marie announced his decision to leave the ATP Tour. In a video on his YouTube channel followed by 130,000 subscribers, he shared: "This is the end of the ATP Tour for me. It's been an incredible adventure, but it's time to move on to something else. And that new challenge is padel!"
This decision was no accident: "I felt relieved to stop. It was really starting to weigh on me. It was getting harder and harder, physically and mentally", he explains. After 28 years of tennis, the player from Normandy felt the need for a fresh start, and padel provided just that opportunity.
The shift towards padel
A gradual discovery
Jules Marie's very first padel session dates back to 2012 at the Tecnifibre camp at Mouratoglou, although he didn't quite catch the bug back then. It was in December 2024, during practice sessions in Caen, that he rediscovered the sport: "There's a great core of padel players here and I play with quite a few friends", he explains.
A few friends laid down a challenge: "Some people told me I'd never break into the French top 100". Rather than discouraging him, this comment became extra motivation to dive seriously into competition.
First tournament victories
In December 2024, while still fully involved in tennis, Jules Marie won his first two P500 titles in Caen and Dreux alongside Hugo Ferion, a top 300 player in France. These immediate victories reinforced his decision to pursue a professional transition into padel.
In early March 2025, having officially called time on his ATP career, he went all-in on his padel project. His objective was clear: win his best twelve P500s to boost his ranking, then step up to P1000 and P1500 tournaments.
A meteoric rise on the French circuit
The first months of competition
Jules Marie started around the 550th spot when announcing his transition to padel in early March 2025, thanks to an assimilation based on his tennis ranking by the FFT. This assimilation allowed him to enter P500 events directly, bypassing the lower categories (P25, P100).
Right from his first month of competition in March 2025, the results were impressive: across around ten tournaments played, he posted a record of 4 P500 victories and 5 podium finishes including 4 finals. This rapid progression propelled him to 242nd place in the French rankings in early April.
The climb to the top 100
At the Bordeaux P500, he played alongside Benjamin Grué (former French top 10), who gave him invaluable advice. He also teamed up with Clément Filho, alias the Chiquiteur (French top 50), at Cap Esterel, and with Jérôme Inzerillo (former French No. 8, currently French No. 15, world top 250) in Bondoufle.
In April 2025, he reached the final of the Guindé Open, losing to Manuel Guinard. In May, partnering with Jérôme Inzerillo, he qualified for his first semi-final in a P1500 tournament in La Ciotat—an incredible feat for a player still ranked 244th at that time.
"Players in the top 30–40 told me that my volée and block could help me get there", he confides, referring to his goal of making the French national team.
In October 2025, he reached 101st place in the French rankings, achieving his first goal several months ahead of schedule. By January 2026, Jules Marie was ranked 64th in France, confirming his steady progress and successful adaptation to padel.
The FFT ranking system
To reach this level, the Caen native put in the work: "At the start, the FFT gave me an equivalent ranking of 600th in France, which let me enter P500s directly. For the rankings in padel, they take your best 12 results over the season. I must have played 20 or 25 tournaments and won 12 of them, which helped me climb the rankings pretty quickly", he explains.
The points system is straightforward: winning a P500 awards 500 points, a P1000 gives 1000 points, and so on up to P3000s (the French equivalent of Grand Slams).
The strengths and weaknesses of a former tennis player
Undeniable tennis assets
Jules Marie boasts qualities inherited from his tennis career that prove invaluable on the padel court. His volée, his smash, and his overhead game are major strengths. "My main strengths in tennis were defence and counter-punching. In padel, it's almost the opposite: I'm better at the volée, the smash, and the víbora", he explains.
His physical fitness as a former high-level athlete provides him with remarkable explosiveness and endurance. His mental toughness, forged by years of competing under pressure on the ATP Tour, is also a definite asset against his opponents.
Areas for improvement
The main challenge for Jules Marie lies in defending off the glass, a completely new skill set for a tennis player. "On the other hand, my defence is my weak point. It's very technical, especially reading whether the ball hits the side glass, the back glass… or both", he admits.
The overhead game specific to padel also requires fine-tuning. The víbora, the bandeja, and the por 3 smash (when the ball bounces out over the side fence after a smash) are shots he is continuing to master.
A lucid assessment
With refreshing honesty, Jules Marie estimates his true level to be "around 80–90" within the French top 100: "I think some players ranked behind me defend better, whereas my volée is sharper than some ranked ahead of me."
This clear-eyed self-assessment reflects his maturity and his drive to improve every area of his game to compete with the top 30 in France.
A professional and media-driven approach
The role of YouTube and social media
Jules Marie's YouTube channel, launched in 2020 with his twin brother Arthur, boasted over 130,000 subscribers by 2025. This community, which he warmly nicknames "the Breakers", loyally follows his sporting journey.
Since making the move to padel, 80% of his channel's content is now dedicated to the sport, compared to 20% for tennis. He regularly uploads tournament vlogs, shares training drills, and charts his progress. This transparent approach helps introduce a broad audience to padel and inspires other players to take up the game.
Varied playing partnerships
Jules Marie adopts a strategy of playing with varied partners to broaden his experience. "I focus on partners I get along with well. For now, I'm mixing it up because everyone brings something different. Maybe one day I'll settle down with a fixed partner if I target the French national team", he explains.
This diversity of partners allows him to learn different playing styles and adapt his technique. Each collaboration brings its share of lessons, thereby accelerating his progression curve.
The Sannois club
Holding a licence at OS Sannois Tennis-Squash-Badminton-Padel in the Paris region, Jules Marie enjoys high-calibre facilities to train. This club, which he has been part of since his tennis days, provides a familiar frame to develop his padel game while staying close to Paris.
Ambitious targets for a purposeful transition
A clear roadmap
Jules Marie makes no secret of his ambitions in padel. From the moment he announced his sporting transition, he laid out his targets clearly:
- French top 100 in one year: goal achieved several months ahead of schedule (101st in October 2025)
- Top 50 within two years: well on track with a ranking of 64th in January 2026
- Top 10 in three to four years: the ultimate goal that would make him eligible for the French national team
"In six months, I climbed from 600th to 120th in France. I'm aiming for the top 100 in September and hopefully the top 50 by the end of the year", he stated in August 2025. His forecasts proved conservative, as he comfortably beat his targets.
The French national team in sight
Earning a spot on the French national team is the ultimate pinnacle of his padel journey. "My goal remains crystal clear: progress step by step and, one day, break into the French national team", he asserts with determination.
To hit this target, he knows he will need to step up a gear and take on the international FIP circuit. "Maybe… jump onto the international FIP tour. I'm completely up for it", he shares enthusiastically.
FIP tournaments, the international counterparts of P500 and P1000 events, will allow him to earn world ranking points and compete against the best European and South American players.
The balance between professional and sporting life
One of the main perks of his transition to padel is how he can manage his schedule. "These tournaments are held over weekends, so I can dedicate my week to other business projects, spending time with family and friends, training, and also getting some rest", he explains.
This setup allows him to diversify his activities: private tennis coaching, running training camps, creating YouTube content, and even competing in a few CNGT tournaments (Caen, Normandy, Tenerife...). He can also spend more time at home in Normandy, away from the exhausting travel routine of the ATP Tour.
The impact on the French padel scene
A media spotlight
Jules Marie's switch brings exceptional exposure to French padel. With over 130,000 subscribers on YouTube, he introduces a broad audience to the unique dynamics of the sport. His videos demystify padel, highlight its technical subtleties, and shine a spotlight on French tournaments and players.
"Padel is booming! There were 12,000 tournament players in France 5 years ago, and today there are 85,000! Now is the time to get involved", he asserts in his videos. This exponential growth of padel in France is opening up unprecedented opportunities for new players.
A model for tennis players
Jules Marie represents a clear pathway from tennis to padel for many tennis players seeking a fresh challenge. His rapid rise shows that the skills built in tennis — technique, physical conditioning, and tactical awareness — provide a solid foundation for excelling in padel.
Other players such as Julien Benneteau, Thierry Ascione or Benoît Paire have also tried their hand at padel, but Jules Marie stands out for his full commitment and high competitive ambitions.
The economic reality of padel
Contrary to popular belief, Jules Marie clarifies the financial side: "In padel, the prize money is not comparable. On the tennis Challenger tour, losing in the first tour earned you at least €1,000, plus there were the Grand Slams. In padel, winning a P1000 earns around €1,000… which you then split in two".
However, expenses are lower as he plays primarily in France, keeping travel costs down. He has also secured two new sponsors thanks to his profile and his padel project, partially making up for the prize money difference.
Rediscovered enjoyment
Psychological well-being
Beyond results and rankings, Jules Marie highlights the psychological aspect of his transition. "Psychologically, it's brilliant. I love playing padel, it's genuine fun. I could easily play for 5 to 6 hours a day. I'm just happy stepping onto the court", he shares.
"I'm much more fulfilled than I was towards the end of my tennis career. I'm improving quickly, I can feel it at every tournament, and it's rewarding", he adds. This sense of steady progress, which he had lost in tennis, provides a powerful driving force for his motivation.
Creativity on the left side
"Playing on the left, you have to build the point and take risks. There's more creativity. In tennis, I was a baseline metronome. Here, there are endless shot variations: por 3, por 4, bandeja, víbora, disguise… I'm having much more fun", he explains with enthusiasm.
This creative dimension, which was missing from his defensive tennis game, brings him fresh satisfaction and enhances his day-to-day enjoyment on court.
No regrets
Six months into the transition, when asked if he had any regrets, Jules Marie was clear: "Everything's going really, really well. I don't miss tennis or the tournaments at all. I hit a few tennis balls recently, but I don't really have the urge to play tennis anymore."
"Physically and mentally, I feel at the top of my game. I still have plenty of room for improvement", he states, confirming he made the right call.
Future prospects
Next steps
For the 2026 season, Jules Marie plans to ramp up his entries in P1000 and P1500 events, while continuing to dominate the P500s. Having already achieved his goal of reaching the French top 50 by late 2025, he is now targeting the top 30 by mid-2026.
He also plans to take on the FIP circuit seriously, which is essential for collecting world ranking points and testing himself against the top international players. These tournaments, staged across Europe and beyond, offer a new logistical and sporting challenge.
Gear and equipment
To optimise his performance, Jules Marie pays particular attention to his choice of equipment. His padel racket must suit his aggressive, attacking style of play. His padel shoes are also a crucial element, as padel requires constant lateral movement and sharp changes of direction.
An example for the community
Beyond his own results, Jules Marie wants to inspire his community and help develop padel in France. He regularly hosts meet-ups with his subscribers, runs clinics, and generously shares his technical knowledge.
His journey proves that it is never too late to change paths, even in elite sport, as long as you bring the necessary determination, work ethic, and passion. At 33 years old, he demonstrates that age is no barrier to sporting excellence when tackling a new challenge with focus and professionalism.
Key takeaways
Key takeaways
- Jules Marie left the ATP Tour in March 2025 after reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 203, having contested qualifying at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open
- Ranked 64th in France in January 2026, he climbed from 550th in March to 101st in October, exceeding his targets for progression
- A former tennis player at the Sannois club, he excels on the volée and the smash, but is fine-tuning his defence off the glass—the primary hurdle for transitioning tennis players
- He enters P500, P1000, and P1500 tournaments, notching up 12 P500 titles during his first full season
- His YouTube channel documents his transition and shares his journey with the "Breakers" community, introducing a wide audience to padel
