Jules Marie, a popular YouTuber who is also an ATP professional, announced he will feature in the 2024 Australian Open qualifiers. The Frenchman, who previously trained with Novak Djokovic a couple of years ago, has over 100,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Known for his behind-the-scenes content, Marie primarily competes on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF circuit. Having previously retired as a 23-year-old in 2015, Marie returned to tennis during the COVID-19 pandemic. He trained with Djokovic during the 2021 French Open as the Serb’s hitting partner. Now ranked World No.226, he has made the cut for the Australian Open qualifiers.
Marie took to Instagram to share the news with his followers. He said he will continue creating content at the Slam Down Under and give fans a peek into what goes on behind the scenes at the AO qualifiers. He added that this is a dream come true for him and a result of two years of hard work. The 32-year-old shared his motto – ‘Never too late’.
“Pass validated for AO 24 Qualifiers. We did it, I’m taking you behind the scenes of the Australian Open 2024 qualifiers.One of the four biggest tournaments in the world. So happy, a dream has come true…This is where, for the past two years, my hashtag has truly made sense: #nevertoolate.”
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The qualifying rounds for the 2024 Australian Open will begin on January 8 and the main draw gets underway on January 14. Marie will hope to become one of the 16 qualifiers to advance into the main event.
How Novak Djokovic played small role in reviving Jules Marie
Jules Marie was an unknown entity when he hung up his boots aged only 23. He retired in 2015 following recurring fitness issues and a string of poor results. He was ranked a career-best World No.228 when he stopped playing, having defeated the likes of Tallon Griekspoor and Zhang Zhizhen. While he did not compete professionally for six years, he kept in touch with sport, playing exhibition events and occasionally coaching.
As the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, Marie and his brother took to YouTube to continue imparting coaching tips. He developed a small but significant following before a golden opportunity came up. In 2021, he worked with Novak Djokovic as his hitting partner during the French Open. Marie shot everything he could with the World No.1 and uploaded it to his YouTube channel. The exercise got him massive viewership.
In December of that year, Marie decided to return to professional tennis, balancing it with his YouTube career. He has since made it big on the platform, amassing over 106k subscribers. He is also fairly popular on Instagram with over 57,000 followers. Marie specialises in giving fans a sneak peek into the life of a pro player and the workings of a tournament and matches.
He played 93 matches in 2023, producing vlogs of about 15 minutes. He revealed the income from his YouTube channel has greatly helped his tennis career as well. It is visible in the Frenchman’s rise after his comeback.
Competing in the Challenger and ITF tours, he rose to a new career-high of World No. 226. This got him into the 2024 Australian Open qualifiers entry list. Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman, and Serbian prodigy Hamad Medjedovic are some top names in the pool. Marie will fight hard and hope to get into the main draw, which will give him immense content for his YouTube channel.
