Rising American tennis star Iva Jovic opened up about a special and unexpected connection she ormed with Novak Djokovic. She revealed that the 24-time Grand Slam champion has been personally reaching out to her with advice and encouragement throughout the tournament.
Jovic started her Australian Open on a strong note, besting top-notch players, including Jasmine Paolini, Yulia Putintseva, and more to advance to the quarterfinals. However, she couldn’t get the better of Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals, which led to the end of her run. The Belarusian earned an impressive straight-set (6-3, 6-0) win Monday at Rod Laver Arena.
Despite this heartbreak, the 18-year-old returned a winner from the major, as she made a bond with Djokovic. She sat for a post-match press conference, where, along with discussing her experience against the world No. 1, she also revealed her dynamics with the Serb.
When asked about if she had run into him or spoken to him, she said that he messages her with ‘tips’ and said that they have built a little bit of a relationship (3:20 onwards):
“He did text me with some more tips throughout the rounds. I don’t even know what day it is anymore.
“So, we’ve been in communication, and I feel like we’ve built a little bit of a relationship now, which is amazing, and I wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament, and hopefully throughout the year I can keep having more moments with him and encouragement because it’s been amazing.”
Ahead of her Australian Open campaign, Jovic produced a dominant performance at the Hobart International, reaching the final round. Her hopes to win the trophy were dashed by Elisabetta Cocciretto. The latter recorded a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Iva Jovic Reflected on Her Quarterfinal Clash Against Aryna Sabalenka
In the aforementioned press conference,
Iva Jovic fielded questions surrounding the ins and outs of her showdown against Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal round. Reflecting on the match, she revealed that the loss was hard for her, but she has to be ‘happy’ with this result. Opening up about this wasn’t what she wanted today, she said (0:05 onwards):
“Considering the position that I was in coming into the tournament, obviously I have to be happy with this result. It’s hard whenever you lose. So, obviously not what I wanted today, but yeah, happy overall.”
She further spoke about her first meeting with Sabalenka:
“I think that I kind of went into the match obviously not knowing too much about how it was going to look like in person, having not really hit with her in the past or first meeting as well. So, I think she brought, you know, a great level, and that’s what you would expect considering, um, all her amazing achievements.”
Iva Jovic opened her 2026 season at the ASB Classic, where she progressed to the semifinals but fell against Elina Svitolina.
