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Coup Droit


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Billy Harris
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Everyone knows about Billy and his 'Billy-van'.

And Bob's famous laundry service.

But there was an interesting article about his recently in the French press (about Billy, that is, not Bob smile ) and the Isle of Man tennis club site put up a translation:

Harris, the Atypical Englishman :

Having left England in January, Billy Harris came to complete the Annecy Tennis Team, beside Hugo Voljacques, Kevin Botti, Artem Sitak andCoach Yann Dupuy. At only 22 years of age,he is crossing Europe in order to play as many matches as possible, to live his dream.  

The story begins in 2015, when Billy Harris plays his first Doubles Match alongside Hugo Voljacques. Consequently, the young Englishman asks the Annecy Team if a place would be available for him. Passionate for his sport, the Brit has already crossed Spain and Portugal to finally put down his suitcases in Annecy. Over time he has become a major asset to the Annecy Tennis team, with whom he contests all major Inter Club fixtures.

Last year, Harris experienced injuries which prevented him from playing. So, this season is important for him, more from the physical point of view than the mental.

The year 2016 has been difficult as I experienced multiple injuries. Therefore today, I want to redouble my efforts to break through the worlds top 500 barrier. I am actually 920th and if I get through this barrier, I will take an apartment he explains. For, in effect, Harris lives, sleeps and eats in his van, parked in front of the covered courts of Boulevard du Fier in Annecy.

In spite of help from the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT), he cannot afford to rent an apartment and tries to spend as little as possible. In winning his singles and doubles matches last Sunday without difficulty against Istres, he is marking this season as much by his gentleness as his  stunning forehand. He believes in the ability of the team and is of the opinion that it is capable of reaching Level 1. From June to August, hell take to the road again to participate in a dozen tournaments in Poland in order to get as close as possible to his objective.

 

http://albanyltc.co.uk/author/stuartcolligon/



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Bob in Spain


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Coup Droit wrote:

Everyone knows about Billy and his 'Billy-van'.

And Bob's famous laundry service.

But there was an interesting article about his recently in the French press (about Billy, that is, not Bob smile ) and the Isle of Man tennis club site put up a translation:


I'm insulted biggrin

Great article.  Thanks CD.

Billy already a set up today in chase of his dream but a break down in the 2nd. But that is for the tournament thread of course.



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James


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Intrigued by the suggestion that he receives some form of 'help' from the FFT.

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Madadman


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Never seen him play but due to his van style travelling I always look out for his results. A great effort to try and make it on the tour. A lot of players wouldn't not have even contemplated it. Does anyone know if his van is a purpose camper van or a Proper Van that has been converted. Some travelers have made some quite brilliant Van conversions that I've seen on Twitter/Instagram etc...

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steven


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If you go to the original site's search page and paste "Harris, l'atypique anglais" into the search box, you should get a pic of Billy with the famous van next to a link to the article.

(I found that by trying to access the original article but it costs 2 Euros for 24-hour access or you have to watch an ad and register - given that the translation is probably accurate enough, I couldn't be bothered!)

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Oakland2002


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It depresses me a bit when the likes of Marcus and Dan get all the conventional headlines. Billy's self motivation is inspiring and to that pair what light is to dark.

I did however thing of Billy when Andy was playing Dreddie at Wimbledon, Dreddie lived in an SUV for many years a tad more luxurious than Billy's van but never the less he has been reward by his persistence

My hope is that Billy stays fit and gets the opportunity to maximise his talent! Thanks to Bob for introducing him to the board, Billy should blog and crowd fund for fuel, I am sure he would pick up some devoted followers the French have obviously taken to him which is no mean feat. He will definitely have some stories to tell his grandchildren.

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Bob in Spain


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Madadman wrote:

Never seen him play but due to his van style travelling I always look out for his results. A great effort to try and make it on the tour. A lot of players wouldn't not have even contemplated it. Does anyone know if his van is a purpose camper van or a Proper Van that has been converted. Some travelers have made some quite brilliant Van conversions that I've seen on Twitter/Instagram etc...

From conversations I had with Billy, it is a "proper" van that has been converted. I also think that the conversion is an ongoing process as I remember him saying somewhere that the van had benefited from an "upgrade" this year.

As for his playing style, when his game is on, it is very good but it does get a bit "wild" at times. Billy is a big lad and his game is based around power more than anything else, which is why the shoulder problems he had to manage last year really put a dent in his plans.



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Coup Droit


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Chris Goldsmith (who is a bit of a 'plonker', in my view - very rarely anything of ANY interest in what he tweets) asked if Billy Harris got LTA funding as otherwise how could he travel? (Chris - AS IF !!!! How come you don't know the camper van story - keep up, man !).

Billy put him right, and Bob backed him up right away, as expected

But I also liked the post of another Billy friend, and physique coach. Billy, our Delboy !:

Jack Abbott @jackyabbott 10h10 hours ago
Replying to @billyharris95 @TheTennisTalker

He buys multipacks of crisps and sweets from the local market and sells them for 50p more to his mates. True story. Tennis's delboy


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Bob in Spain


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Coup Droit wrote:

Chris Goldsmith (who is a bit of a 'plonker', in my view - very rarely anything of ANY interest in what he tweets) asked if Billy Harris got LTA funding as otherwise how could he travel? (Chris - AS IF !!!! How come you don't know the camper van story - keep up, man !).

Billy put him right, and Bob backed him up right away, as expected

But I also liked the post of another Billy friend, and physique coach. Billy, our Delboy !:

Jack Abbott @jackyabbott 10h10 hours ago
Replying to @billyharris95 @TheTennisTalker

He buys multipacks of crisps and sweets from the local market and sells them for 50p more to his mates. True story. Tennis's delboy

Yes. I am in good company in replying to Chris Goldsmith on this one. Even Judy Murray has weighed in with support for Billy now.

@JudyMurray

If u haven't played the circuit or parented a player who has, then u have no idea how tough it is to survive financially. Bravo Billy Harris

 



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Madadman


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Billy Harris appears to be playing on tatp tour in Thailand at the moment. I assume its the equivalent of our British tour. Hes into the second round. First round was worth £80 with the tournament winner picking up roughly £1000.


https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2424068514349734&id=418273031595969&set=pcb.2424068911016361&source=49



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Bob in Spain


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Madadman wrote:


Billy Harris appears to be playing on tatp tour in Thailand at the moment. I assume its the equivalent of our British tour. Hes into the second round. First round was worth £80 with the tournament winner picking up roughly £1000.


https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2424068514349734&id=418273031595969&set=pcb.2424068911016361&source=49

I know he played a couple of ITFs out there recently so it makes sense to spend more time there given the travel costs.  Thanks for the info.



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Madadman


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Looks like hes down for a futures next week in Thailand also. Makes sense to do a long stint out there. Flight might cost a bit but I guess living costs while there are fairly low.

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Madadman


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Took out the #1 seed in the quarters. Who is ranked 579 atp.

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Madadman


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Billy took the title on the TATP tour. Beating the 2nd seed in the final 6-3 5-7 7-6.

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Bob in Spain


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Madadman wrote:

Billy took the title on the TATP tour. Beating the 2nd seed in the final 6-3 5-7 7-6.

Good man Billy.  Thanks again for the updates.

Edit

Photo Here

https://business.facebook.com/tatptour/photos/pcb.2432683956821523/2432683583488227/?type=3&theater



-- Edited by Bob in Spain on Sunday 18th of August 2019 09:24:25 AM

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