Iva Jović is only 17 years old, and it’s already clear that she’s going to be a great tennis player. How good remains to be seen, but the future is definitely bright for this American of Serbian descent.
Her father is from Leskovac, her mother from Split, and she comes to Serbia almost every year.
The Australian Open was her second senior Grand Slam tournament, and she repeated her success from the US Open by reaching the second round.
However, she didn’t make it out of that round, as her opponent was Elena Rybakina, the world’s seventh-ranked player, who won 2-0 in sets.
“It’s the first time I’ve played against a player of this caliber, it’s a different level for sure. I’m not happy with how it went, but I think it will help me in the future,” Iva Jović told B92.sport.
Rybakina is, however, a different level from what the American-Serbian teenager is used to.
“I think it’s different. I was so close at the US Open to playing that third round against Sabalenka. Maybe that would have been the moment, but I think this is it… On the stadium, against such an opponent — it’s different, it’s not easy. Yes, I didn’t cope the best, but everything was totally new to me. Next time I can be totally ready.”
Iva then described how the match unfolded from her perspective, and how she managed to recover after being 6-0 down in the first set.
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“At that moment, I didn’t know what had hit me. I didn’t have any exchanges, it was just bang-bang. And everything hits the line. It changed a little in the second set, I won the first game, then I broke her, I was leading 3-1, I had a lot of chances… But it’s the first time, you don’t have faith in yourself at those moments. I could have broken her again at 3-3 but I wasn’t aggressive enough at those moments and that’s something I have to learn. Tennis is faster, points are shorter at the highest level and you have to go for the points,” Jović explained.
As for the junior Australian Open, she will not be competing. This year her focus will be on senior tournaments, with possibly one or two junior Grand Slams.
“I’m not going to play, I’m going home. I came here for this, so I’m going home to play some tournaments in America. I’m pretty much only in senior tennis now, at least at the beginning. Maybe I’ll play a junior one, at the French Open and Wimbledon, because it’s easier in Europe to stay there after the senior one. But here, at the beginning of the year, it’s better this way, I got that experience and now I’m going back to train and regroup.”
Serbia will certainly have someone to cheer for at the junior Australian Open. Ognjen Milić is participating in the boys’ singles, while Luna Vujović, Teodora Kostović, and Petra Konjikušić are in the girls’ singles.
“I know Teodora well, we’ve played many times, we play various tournaments together… I know her well and it’s nice when you know the language and can communicate with a larger group of people.”
Finally, Iva told us that she loves to visit Serbia to see her grandparents.
“There’s not much time when you enter the senior ranks. Only after the French Open to catch a few days, to pause and be just with the family, that’s the only chance I have. It means a lot to me to go to Serbia. It’s a different feeling when I go there with my family, my heart is really full. I would really like to manage that again,” Iva Jović emphasized in the “Reketiranje” column.
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Source: B92, Photo: Paul Ballard