Iva Jovic makes ‘nervous’ admission about talking to ‘idol’ Novak Djokovic

Oli Dickson Jefford 16 Feb 2026 5:30 PM

Tennis players Iva Jovic and Novak Djokovic.

Iva Jovic has revealed that she still gets “nervous” talking to tennis icon Novak Djokovic, as she opened up about talking to her “idol” on tour.

US ace Jovic is one of the hottest prospects in American tennis and in the women’s game as a whole, with the 18-year-old long-recognised as a burgeoning talent.

The teen star was born and raised in California but has Serbian heritage, with her father, Bojan, born in the city of Leskovac, before emigrating to the US alongside his wife, Jelena.

Jovic has often spoken about how Djokovic is her idol, and she paid tribute to both the 24-time Grand Slam champion and Monica Seles after beating Priscilla Hon in the second round of the Australian Open.

The 18-year-old is in action at the Dubai Tennis Championships this week, a tournament in which Djokovic is a five-time champion in the men’s singles draw.

Jovic was asked in a recent interview with Arab News if she would ask Djokovic for advice at the event — and admitted it might prove challenging.

“Oh, my God. Well, I hope … I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do that,” Jovic replied.

“I’m still a little nervous when I talk to him. He’s definitely my idol, but yeah, I see him at every corner.

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“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 not in action at the Qatar Open last week, though started her Dubai Tennis Championships campaign with a battling 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova on Monday.

The teen star has been one of the form players of the season so far, with the American most notably reaching her first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open.

However, prior to her Melbourne campaign, Jovic was also a semi-finalist at the Auckland Open and a finalist at the Hobart International.

The 18-year-old’s hugely impressive start to the season has seen her reach a high of 20th in the WTA Rankings, with a 12-3 record in 2026 to her name after beating Rakhimova.

Reflecting on her start to the year and her Australian Open campaign, Jovic revealed that consistency was her main target as she looks to continue her rise.

She added: “I like to think that it’s surprising but not surprising, because obviously having great results and maybe some wins weren’t expected, but I also know how hard I’ve worked, and that good things tend to come when you put in the right work. So, surprised, but also not that surprised.

“Again, I think it’s one thing to have a couple of those good results, but for me, the most important thing is consistency. So I want to establish myself as a player who’s going deep every single week.”

Jovic is set to face Diana Shnaider in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday.

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