Iva Jovic met Novak Djokovic at the 2026 Australian Open and was left mesmerized. She made a humble request to the Serb in her appearance on the recent episode of The Player’s Box podcast.
The 18-year-old American star joined Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk on the podcast. She was asked about her dream mixed doubles partner. She picked Djokovic for the mixed doubles event at the US Open.
“Um, my dream doubles partner is, okay, can I go mixed? Because then I would go with Novak,” Jovic said. “Okay, I’m going to put it out there: mixed with Novak at the US Open. The US Open. I mean, that’s kind of the only option there is for mixed doubles.”
The co-hosts revealed that Djokovic follows their podcast so her request would be reached. Jovic also described her experience of meeting the 24-time Grand Slam champion in Melbourne Park and receiving a shout-out from him.
“He gave me a full-on shoutout,” Jovic added. “I was shaking. That was honestly, I think, the most surreal part of Australia, meeting Novak and talking to him. It was, oh wow, it was amazing. Yeah, that was the highlight of the trip. And he gave me a shoutout after the quarterfinals on live television, you know, right after his match when he’s in his zone thinking about himself. I was like, ‘Wow, this is just amazing.'”
Iva Jovic Considers Novak Djokovic Her “Idol”
For the better part of the last two decades, Novak Djokovic has inspired several aspiring tennis stars and Iva Jovic is one of them. Jovic is one of the breakout stars on the WTA Tour in 2026, getting inside the top 20 rankings and even making it to the Australian Open quarterfinals, where she was defeated by World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
While speaking to Arab News ahead of this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Jovic recalled her meeting with the Serb in Melbourne and what role does he plays in her tennis career.
“Oh, my God. Well, I hope … I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do that,” she said. “I’m still a little nervous when I talk to him. He’s definitely my idol, but yeah, I see him at every corner. I’m like, how many times did this guy win the tournament? I see him on every screen. But just try to be like Novak. I’m going to keep it that simple.”
Jovic will hope to emulate Novak Djokovic in Dubai, where he has won five titles.
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