Novak Djokovic has named one teenager who has what it takes to succeed in the very prime.
Novak Djokovic believes Iva Jovic will attain the head of girls’s tennis (Picture: Getty)
Novak Djokovic believes it is solely a matter of time earlier than this 12 months’s Australian Open’s breakout star reaches the highest of the world rankings. Iva Jovic, who is barely 18 years previous, booked her place within the girls’s quarter-finals with a thumping win over Yulia Putintseva on Sunday morning. She wanted simply 51 minutes to earn a 6-0 6-1 victory and attain the final eight at Melbourne Park.
Jovic, who was born in California to Serbian dad and mom, made her skilled debut in 2022 when she was 14 years of age. Practically 4 years later, she is ranked contained in the world’s prime 30 and has been mixing it with lots of the sport’s greatest gamers. She received her first WTA 500 occasion on the Guadalajara Open final 12 months and has maintained her spectacular type on the Australian Open.
Djokovic has been giving recommendation to Jovic behind the scenes and the veteran Serb is satisfied that she is going to ultimately attain the very prime.
Talking after his victory over Botic van de Zandschulp, he mentioned: “I received to know Iva final 12 months for the primary time. She’s so younger, she’s solely 18 and is already making nice strides within the rankings. She’s had some nice outcomes and is within the final 16 [here].
“We bumped into one another yesterday within the press space and I received to share a few of my observations of her sport. I suppose that stays between us.
“I noticed she did give away in her press convention what I instructed her. That’s advantageous. It’s as much as her if she desires to share. I actually like her, she’s an incredible woman and has a very nice household.
“Clearly, I really feel extra emotionally linked to her due to her Serbian background so I strive much more. She positively has all of the instruments to be a future champion, a future [world] No. 1, in order that’s precisely what I want for her.”
Jovic has reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the primary time (Picture: Getty)
Jovic, in the meantime, described her assembly with Djokovic as ‘superb’ and mentioned that she hoped to obtain extra recommendation from him sooner or later.
“You at all times take into consideration these moments the place you are going to meet your idols just a little bit and, I feel, generally for sure individuals it may be just a little bit deflating if they’re possibly not as good or as open as you anticipated,” she defined.
“He is virtually even kinder and much more attentive exterior the cameras than what he is portrayed. It was superb.
“He is so clever and sensible and actually desires to assist the youthful technology so I am actually grateful. Hopefully I am going to communicate with him extra and take heed to his recommendation.”
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Jovic will face her hardest check but within the Australian Open quarter-finals, with Aryna Sabalenka standing between her and a spot within the semis.
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