A prodigious talent who earned the 14-and-under girls’ singles title at the prestigious Orange Bowl junior tournament in 2021, Jovic wasn’t always destined to play professional tennis though in hindsight, she’s pleased with the decision.
“For a long time, it was [about] getting into a great school and having a good college career, getting a good education … that was the plan, and then things just kind of took a little bit of a turn,” she said.
Fluent in both Serbian and English, the right-hander’s aggressive game has been inspired by major champions including Jannik Sinner, Monica Seles and Novak Djokovic.
“Djokovic was a big [inspiration] for me, so it’s pretty cool to be playing a tournament that he’s playing in,” she said.
The 10-time AO champion carved out time during his pursuit of a 25th major to speak with Jovic, she revealed after defeating Paolini.
“It was pretty incredible,” she said. “He gave me some very attentive tips for my game and some thing[s] I can try to incorporate into this match that I just played.”
The Serbian great’s advice to a player two decades his junior was to open up the court, not rush into shots and find some more width.
“I tried to do that, and it ended well, so I’m just going to try to keep listening to Novak.”
Jovic makes regular trips to Serbia, visiting the cities of Belgrade and Leskovac, where she has family, and her admiration for Djokovic runs a little deeper than an average American.
“You always think about those moments where you’re going to meet your idols a little bit, and I think sometimes for certain people it can be a little bit deflating if they are maybe not as nice or as open as you anticipated,” she said.
Fortunately, the former world No.1 did not disappoint. “He’s almost even kinder and even more attentive outside the cameras than what he’s portrayed.”
“It was amazing … he’s so intelligent and smart and really wants to help the younger generation so I’m really grateful.”
“Hopefully I’ll speak with him more and listen to his advice.”