ATP player Aleksandar Kovacevic does not think many players on the ATP Tour have an aura.
Kovacevic has enjoyed the best season of his career to date, having reached two ATP finals and achieved a career-high ranking.
There have been a lot of questions about whether Novak Djokovic still has aura, with the 38-year-old failing to reach a Grand Slam final in 2025 for the first time in eight years.
Now, world number 60 Kovacevic has revealed if he still thinks Djokovic has aura, as he named the only three players on the ATP Tour who he thinks still do.
Aleksandar Kovacevic names the only three ATP players who have ‘aura’ in the locker room
Kovacevic appeared on the latest edition of The Changeover Podcast, where he was asked about rivalries on the ATP Tour and the general feeling in the locker rooms.
The first person Kovacevic named was the aforementioned 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who he called the greatest of all time, before also adding the dominant Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
When speaking about other players on the ATP Tour, Kovacevic claimed that generally rivalries are put to one side in the locker room.
“In terms of locker room aura, Novak’s still got it because of the greatest of all time thing,” said Kovacevic. “Sinner and Alcaraz have a little bit of that where it’s like oh s*** when they walk in the room, otherwise no-one really cares man. We’re just like clocking into a job and it’s the same guys like every week.
“Sure there might be a new guy on the scene that like just came up and a lot of times those are the guys that are trying to look like ‘Oh, I’m the man’ and it’s like settle down, you know what I mean like, you don’t even know what you’re in for, you’re going to be with us for the next two, three years. There’s a lot of good, talented players, but trying to act tough and stuff it’s like a lot of energy for nothing really.
“When it’s time to go and battle we’re trained to go and switch something on and just like fight to the death out there, but in the locker room no-one’s like, if anything it’s the other way around and guys are real nice to you.
“If [Alexander] Zverev comes up to you and he’s real nice to you, you’re like…I’m about to play him and he’s talking to a friend, like he doesn’t give a s***. That’s like the spookier part, over someone who’s like (imitates someone trying to trash talk), like come on man we’re playing tennis. So yeah, locker room I don’t think anyone cares that much.”
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What happened when Aleksandar Kovacevic played Novak Djokovic?
Kovacevic actually has a connection to Djokovic, as his father, who is also his coach, is from Belgrade, Serbia.
The 27-year-old has never played a match against either Alcaraz or Sinner, but he has faced Djokovic before.
This meeting came at the French Open in 2023, where Djokovic beat Kovacevic in straight sets.
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Kovacevic has lost five of his seven meetings against top 10 players, with his only two top 10 victories coming against Andrey Rublev this year.
As he looks to improve this record in 2026, Kovacevic will begin his season at the ASB Classic ahead of the Australian Open.
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