Novak Djokovic Accused of ‘Nasty’ Behavior by French Player Jules Marie
Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic has been called out for alleged “nasty” behavior by French player Jules Marie. The 37-year-old, widely regarded as the greatest men’s singles player in history with 24 Grand Slam titles, has faced criticism following Marie’s claims.
Marie, who runs a YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers, recently shared his experience on Instagram, as reported by Daily Mirror. The Frenchman recounted his interactions with Djokovic while serving as a sparring partner at Roland Garros, describing the encounters as unpleasant.
“When I was a sparring partner at Roland Garros, I played with Djokovic five times, and he was nasty all five times,” Marie alleged. “You play on the edge with him. If you hit a ball 1.5 meters away from him, he doesn’t play it and looks at you like, ‘If you do it again, I’ll kick you out.’
“At one point, I served a ball, and he didn’t play it. He said, ‘It’s my coach who is supposed to serve.’ So his coach served, I hit the ball back, and Djokovic sent it 50 meters high. I don’t know why… Not nice at all.
“However, at the Australian Open, I was no longer a sparring partner—I was a player. It was different. He knew about my YouTube channel, and since we were being filmed, he couldn’t be nasty.”
Djokovic Struggling in Recent Performances
Djokovic has been facing a challenging period on the court, suffering early-round exits in recent tournaments. His latest disappointment came at Indian Wells, where he was eliminated in the round of 64 by the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp, losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Prior to that, he was knocked out of the Qatar Open by Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2.
As the Serbian looks to regain his form, these accusations add another layer of scrutiny to his current struggles.
