Novak Djokovic makes special effort to meet former hitting partner & YouTuber Jules Marie after he booked spot in Australian Open 2024 qualies

Novak Djokovic recently made a special effort to meet and practice with Jules Marie, a famous YouTuber and tennis player, in preparation for the 2024 Australian Open.

Marie is a French tennis player who also runs a YouTube channel documenting his matches. He boasts 114,000 subscribers on his channel. The Frenchman was accepted into the Australian Open qualifiers, where he upset former World No. 18 Benoit Paire in the first round. However, Marie lost in the second round, cutting his fairytale journey short.

Recently, Marie released a video on his channel where he was seen practising with Novak Djokovic. This isn't the first time that the World No.1 has practised with Marie. The two have previously practised during the 2021 French Open, when the Frenchman served as the Serb's sparring partner.

Djokovic later gave a small interview in French, in which he acknowledged that he knew about Marie's channel. He gave his predictions about the 2024 Australian Open, saying that the young players can give a surprise in the tournament. The World No. 1 also spoke about his adoration for playing at Rod Laver Arena, saying that it feels like home.

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Novak Djokovic: Scheduling has become a hot topic

Novak Djokovic pictured at the 2024 Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has given his take on the scheduling problems that have become the talking point at the 2024 Australian Open, saying the Grand Slam organizers, the ATP, and the WTA have to think about ways to avoid late finishes.

"Scheduling has become a hot topic, so to say. We talked about it, I think few matches ago I talked about it on the press conference, and I couldn't give a really clear answer to that, because, I mean, it's really up to Grand Slams and our respective tours to think about the ways to accommodate both male and female players in a proper way so we have no late finishes," Djokovic said during a press conference at the Australian Open.

The World No. 1 opined that fewer matches should be organized on the center court but acknowledged that it may not happen as each session had money involved.

"Maybe scheduling less matches on the center court, doing it in one session, which is most likely not going to happen, because every session carries a lot of economical value for them. So of course they are going to communicate it and try it that way and try to get as many people for different sessions," he added.