It’s been a harrowing start to life on the ATP Tour for YouTube tennis star Karue Sell. The Brazilian came through two qualifying matches to take his place in the main draw of the Geneva Open, where he faced Hungarian player Fabian Marozsan.
Ahead of the game, Sell, whose eponymous online channel was formerly known as the @MyTennisHQ show, took to social media to express his delight at getting through. He also took aim at critics by writing: “Qualified for my first ATP Main draw. Not bad for a 31-year-old YouTuber…Thanks for the support.”
However, Sell, who is currently ranked No.300 in the world, didn’t last long on court. He was hammered 6-1, 6-1 as Marozsan made his superior experience tell.
The 25-year-old is ranked 242 places higher than the online star and has reached the third round of the Australian Open for the past two years. He now faces a tougher test in the last-16 when he faces eighth seed Matteo Arnaldi.
Sell, whose channel boasts 168,000 followers, has long used his platform to post innovative training videos and tennis clips. He’s said he’s “trying to make tennis cool again,” having previously quit as a professional player at the age of 25.
However, he returned to the circuit last year and explains in the introduction on his channel: “I got tired of talking about getting better. I wanted to go out and do it. And as I do it, I am learning a lot about the game and will share all that knowledge with you here.”
He’s also helped coach some high-profile stars after playing to a high level in college. He is the former coach of ATP player Marcos Giron and served as Naomi Osaka’s hitting partner for two years.
Sell is based in California but was born in Jaragua do Sul in Brazil. He’s yet to post on social media since his defeat.
