This feature originally appeared in Australian Tennis Magazine’s April/May 2026 issue – a 'next gen' special.
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Strength, agility and endurance – these are three requirements that make up an elite player.
But there’s another quality that crucially forms the foundation of a top player: a winner’s attitude. It’s a mentality that absorbs setbacks, learns from losses and runs towards a challenge head on. And it’s a quality that Iva Jovic possesses in abundance.
The 18-year-old American made a statement at Australian Open 2026 with an electrifying run to the quarterfinals. Arriving at Melbourne Park for her second main-draw appearance, Jovic returned a very different player to the one who exited in the first round a year before.
In 2025 she was ranked world No.191 and fell to eventual champion Elena Rybakina. Twelve months on, she launched her campaign as world No.29, a seeded player with a WTA title in Guadalajara on her record.
Her path to the quarterfinals was emphatic. Jovic defeated Katie Volynets, Priscilla Hon, top-10 star Jasmine Paolini and Yulia Putintseva without dropping a set before setting up a blockbuster meeting with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Before stepping on court, the 18-year-old had already made history, becoming the youngest player to reach the AO women’s singles quarterfinals without dropping a set since Venus Williams in 1998. She was also the youngest player since Maria Sharapova in 2005 to reach the quarterfinals at all her first three WTA level tournaments in a season.
Jovic approached her match with world No.1 Sabalenka as an opportunity rather than a challenge. “I think I’m just going to try to keep taking care of my side of the net,” she said ahead of their quarterfinal clash. “Obviously, she’s No.1 for a reason and [has] had so much success at this tournament.
“But that’s what I want. I said it last year; I hope to be able to play her this year ’cause you definitely want to play the best and see how it goes.”
While Sabalenka proved too strong in a 6-3 6-0 victory, the top seed was quick to praise her teenage opponent. “Incredible player, it was a tough match,” Sabalenka said. “She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to [take] one step [to a] better level … it was a tough battle.”
Sabalenka isn’t the only seasoned player impressed by Jovic’s rise. During the tournament, 10-time AO champion Novak Djokovic took time out from his own campaign to offer advice.
“It was pretty incredible,” Jovic recalled. “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 encounter must’ve been a pinch-me moment for Jovic, who has idolised Djokovic since she was a young and aspiring tennis player. “Djokovic was a big [inspiration] for me, so it’s pretty cool to be playing a tournament that he’s playing in,” she said.
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The Californian first picked up a racquet at age five, hitting with her older sister, Mia, on the rooftop of their Torrance home.
Growing up, Jovic’s sporting interests ranged from gymnastics to swimming and soccer. Her athleticism extended to hobbies that reflected her Californian upbringing. Still to this day, you can find the young player indulging in beachside activities including surfing, paddleboarding and boogie-boarding.
“From an athletic development standpoint, it’s so important,” said Jovic. “The swimming is just all body, all muscle, so that’s really good for muscular development. And then soccer for footwork – it translates really well to tennis. I would advise every young person getting into tennis to play soccer.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020, however, Jovic’s team sports were suddenly suspended. To stay active, maintain her competitive edgeand still comply with social distancing rules, the teen turned to tennis. And the rest is history. “It was Covid that really forced me to focus on tennis,” Jovic related. “So, it wasn’t until I was maybe 14, 15 that I started doing well in the national tournaments.
"I just got addicted to the winning and the process. So that’s why I decided to stick with tennis.”
She was 14 years old when she reached the final 16 of the US Open junior event and experienced a breakout 2024 junior season – including semifinal runs at Wimbledon and the US Open, plus a quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros, which paved the way for her to transition to the professional tour.
Since AO 2025, Jovic has experienced a rapid rise. She has climbed more than 170 places, cracked the top 100, then the top 50 after her maiden WTA title. Following her Melbourne Park breakthrough, she now sits inside the top 20.
She partnered fellow teenager Victoria Mboko in doubles at the Australian Open, highlighting a new wave of fearless young talent emerging on the tour.
“Obviously, I’m young, but I think in certain ways I’m more mature than some of the people my age,” Jovic reflected in Dubai. “I’m able to look at the game more logically when I’m playing and try to take the emotion out of it. When there’s a lot of emotion, you can’t really think clearly. I’m still learning, but just being aware of what’s happening on the court.”
This maturity defines Jovic's approach. Even after exiting to Sabalenka in Melbourne, she focused more on growth than disappointment.
“It’s the quarterfinals, but I hope to be in many quarterfinals,” she said. “I don’t think this win or loss is going to make or break my career.”
For a player still at the beginning of her journey, that clarity may be her greatest strength of all.