4 days ago
Iva Jovic’s US Open Rise Fueled by Djokovic Mentorship
Iva Jovic is an 18-year-old American tennis player entering the US Open.
She has received advice from famous champion Novak Djokovic.
He told her to avoid rushing her shots and aim closer to the sidelines.
Jovic followed that advice and earned her first win against a top-10 player, Jasmine Paolini.
She has already won a major tournament in Guadalajara and reached the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Her recent results on hard courts have been less strong.
At the US Open, she will first play Magdalena Frech.
If she keeps winning, she might face her friend Alexandra Eala in the third round.
Eighteen-year-old Iva Jovic has developed a student-mentor relationship with Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic advised Jovic to be patient with her shots and target the sidelines more often.
Jovic has won a WTA 500 title, reached a Hobart final and made an Australian Open quarter-final.
After recent hard-court struggles, Jovic enters the US Open with a relatively favorable draw.
She opens against world No. 47 Magdalena Frech and could meet friend Alexandra Eala in round three.
- Who
- Iva Jovic, an 18-year-old American tennis player, and Novak Djokovic, who has mentored her.
- What
- Jovic is preparing to compete in the US Open main draw while building on a rapid rise in professional tennis.
- Where
- The tournament is being played at Flushing Meadows, and Jovic’s opening match is against Magdalena Frech.
- When
- The US Open main draw begins Sunday; Djokovic first approached Jovic’s coach at Wimbledon in 2025, with further advice exchanged at the Australian Open in January 2026.
- Why
- Jovic is seeking to continue her progress after a breakthrough season, despite recent second-round exits in Toronto and Cincinnati.
Key facts
- Age
- Jovic is 18.
- Current ranking
- She is ranked 14th overall and is the top-ranked under-19 player on the circuit.
- US Open debut
- In 2024, Jovic upset Magda Linette as a 16-year-old wildcard ranked No. 389.
- Recent achievements
- She won a WTA 500 title in Guadalajara, reached the Hobart International final and made the Australian Open quarter-finals.
- Opening opponent
- Jovic will play Poland’s Magdalena Frech, ranked No. 47.
- Potential third-round opponent
- She could face Alexandra Eala, a friend she has already played at an exhibition event.
- Australian Open statistic
- Jovic won four matches without dropping a set and became the youngest player to achieve that feat since Venus Williams in 1998.
Quotes
Aryna Sabalenka
World No. 1 tennis player who defeated Jovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals
“In the second set I felt like I have to step in and put even more pressure on her, because I can see that she’s young, she’s hungry, and I could tell during the match that no matter what’s the score, she’s still going to be there trying and trying to figure her way”
indianexpress.com
“We were practising on the indoor courts at Wimbledon and he (Novak) just walked into a court close to us. His son was playing, and Kathy was like, ‘Let’s go up to him right now!’ I was like, ‘Kathy!’”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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