Iva Jovic spotted something about Novak Djokovic during her time at the Australian Open this year.
Jovic won her first WTA title last year, in what was a breakthrough season for the American teenager.
The 18-year-old has continued her momentum into 2026, with Jovic reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open.
During her time in Melbourne, Jovic got to spend some time with her idol Djokovic, who even gave her some advice during the tournament, and she has now revealed what she has noticed about the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Iva Jovic states goal relating to Novak Djokovic after watching him
While Jovic achieved her best ever result at a major tournament, Djokovic lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final.
Following the conclusion of the first major of 2026, Jovic spoke to Tennis Channel, where she stated that speaking to Djokovic was her ‘biggest win’ of the entire Australian swing.
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When continuing to speak about the Serbian, Jovic also spoke about how methodical she noticed everything is for Djokovic, as she reiterated her goal to be more like her idol.
“I think that was the biggest win of the trip. It wasn’t the results or anything like that, it was speaking to Novak and hearing what he had to say and seeing how he goes about himself,” said Jovic. “Just watching him a little bit, not in a creepy way, but just observing the things he does. The amount of time he spends in the gym, working on himself. Everything is so structured.
“It is amazing that despite all of that he still finds time to talk to the younger players like myself and he really wants to help. He was giving me very specific information about my game and things I can improve, so it was obvious that he was watching.
“It’s really special and the way he carries himself, so sophisticated and intelligent, it’s really impressive to see an athlete who is so well rounded. I just want to be as much as I can like Novak, that is the goal!”
Iva Jovic makes ranking breakthrough after the Australian Open
This year was the first time that four American women reached the Australian Open quarterfinals since 2001, with Jovic joining her more experienced compatriots in Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova.
As a result of reaching the last-eight at a major tournament for the first time, Jovic has been rewarded with a top 20 debut in the WTA rankings.
Jovic has a good opportunity to continue rising up the ranks, as most of her big ranking point earnings last year came in the second half of the season.
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However, it will be a few weeks until she steps on to court again, with Jovic withdrawing from the Qatar Open.
It is not yet clear as to whether Jovic plans to also pull out of the Dubai Tennis Championships, with her next tournament after that at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas.
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