Iva Jovic has received playing tips throughout the Australian Open from Novak Djokovic. They worked very well until Tuesday, when top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka defeated the 18-year-old American 6-3, 6-0 to end her run at Melbourne Park.
“Hopefully throughout the year I can keep having more moments with him because it's been amazing,” Jovic said of Djokovic, the star Serbian who has won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, 10 of them at the Australian Open.
But even Djokovic could not have saved Jovic against Sabalenka in the quarterfinal match.
To be fair, Jovic has been doing just fine on her own, rising quickly in the WTA rankings.
She finished 2024 ranked just inside the top 200. Predicted rankings published Tuesday by the WTA showed her climbing to No. 20 — her highest spot.
Jovic had a chance against Sabalenka in the first set. Sabalenka took a 3-0 lead, but Jovic stayed in the set and had three breakpoint chances in the ninth game trailing 5-3. She lost 6-3 and lost her momentum, losing the second set 6-0.
Jovic referred to a comment that she attributed to Andre Agassi speaking about Djokovic, noting his ability to change styles and keep opponents off balance.
She said Agassi compared Djokovic with “a boxer and the way that he's going in for punches and then faking them out a little bit. I think the way (Djokovic) approaches the match is very impressive.”
Jovic is the California-born daughter of a Serbian father and Croatian mother who immigrated to the United States.
It was Jovic's first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but she seemed poised from the start.
“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," Jovic said. "Our first meeting as well.”
“I kind of tried to just bring that middle ground, and I think I have to be able to adapt to the game and what's necessary for different play styles. I wasn't able to do that" against Sabalenka.
Jovic revealed her conversations with Djokovic earlier in the tournament. Djokovic confirmed he gave the young American some feedback, saying he was happy to help a player with Serbian heritage.
The 38-year-old Djokovic has stayed in touch.
“Yes, he did text me with some more tips throughout the rounds. I don’t even know what day it is anymore!” Jovic said. “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.”
She plans to have more opportunities of her own at Grand Slams in the future.
‘It’s the quarterfinals but, you know, ultimately I hope to be in many quarterfinals," she said. “So I don't think this win or loss today is going to make or break my career.”
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AP Sports Writer John Pye contributed from Melbourne, Australia.
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