Iva Jovic Hopes to Follow in Novak Djokovic’s Footsteps by Winning the Dubai Tennis Championships
Iva Jovic defeated Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
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Novak Djokovic, Iva Jovic (Image via X/#AusOpen, Jimmie48 Photography)
Iva Jovic, who is currently ranked World No.20 has admitted that she hopes to win the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships like her idol Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic won the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai on five occasions and remains the record winner of the event.
Jovic made a name for herself late last year after capturing her maiden WTA 500 tournament at the Guadalajara Open. She then backed it up with a consistent start to the new season, reaching the Hobart International final, the Auckland Classics semi-finals, and has compiled an 11-3 win-loss record on tour.
She’s currently placed ninth in the Race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh, just behind fellow American Jessica Pegula. However, it was at the Australian Open that she earned fame, where she advanced to her first Grand Slam quarter-finals. She claimed wins over Jasmine Paolini and Yulia Putintseva to progress to the last eight.
She faced Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals but lost to the Belarusian star in straight sets. But off-court, she met with Djokovic, who gave her tangible advice that helped improve her game on the court. The Serbian legend also showered praise on the teenager at the tournament, stressing she’s always willing to learn.
Jovic is competing at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she is seeking to make another good run. During her interview with Arab News, she admitted that she hopes to win her maiden WTA 1000 in Dubai, following in the footsteps of her idol Djokovic, who has won the men’s tournament at the city on five occasions:
Oh, my God. Well, I hope … I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do that. I’m still a little nervous when I talk to him. He’s definitely my idol, but yeah, I see him at every corner. I’m like, how many times did this guy win the tournament? I see him on every screen. But just try to be like Novak. I’m going to keep it that simple.
Jovic was among the host of players to have withdrawn from the Doha Open last week. The American star cited the need to rest after her quarter-final run at the Australian Open in Melbourne. She’s the 16th seed at the Dubai Tennis Championships following the withdrawal of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and other players.
Iva Jovic admits to learning from her loss to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open
Iva Jovic opened her campaign at the Dubai Tennis Championships with a three-set win over World No.91 Kamilla Rakhimova. The 18-year-old is making her debut at the tournament and was calm during her first-round match against Rakhimova, who broke her thrice in the second set. Jovic won the match 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 to progress to the second round.
However, Jovic isn’t putting herself under any pressure in Dubai. She fell to Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 0-6 in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Reflecting on the loss during the aforementioned interview, she noted that she gained valid lessons and understood that the difference between her and Sabalenka is huge:
Yeah, I think that obviously you want to play the best just to win, yes, but even if you don’t, to just see where you stand. I think I’ve done a good job so far of learning from every loss, and I think that’s all it is. You learn from it, and it’s just fine margins. The differences aren’t that big.It’s just little details that you need to work on that I’ve already been working on the past couple weeks, so hopefully that can show.
Jovic will face World No.21 Diana Shnaider in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. It will be the first meeting on tour between the 18-year-old American star and the 21-year-old Russian.
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