16-year-old American prodigy Iva Jovic agonisingly loses but gains $140,000 and support of top American trio at US Open
WTA
One of the main stories of the first week of the US Open was Iva Jovic, the 16-year-old wildcard who made herself into a star and should've perhaps defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova.
She lost 6-4, 4-6, 5-7 to the World No.30 and despite being deflated after a three set epic, she leaves hungry for more and to return without a wildcard. As well as securing $140,000 in prize money, all at a pretty early juncture in her career. Also she openly gained support from the locker room including a lot of her top compatriots.
“It’s very motivating,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve had that type of crowd and support ever, really. So I’m happy my first Slam was able to be the US Open, because obviously as an American you get a lot of support. It was really cool to feel that.”
“I didn’t really have too many expectations going in. I didn’t know what it was going to look like for me. Right now, I’m really sad about today. But I guess before the tournament if you told me that it would work out like this, I would be happy.
“I guess it’s nice to know that you’re kind of in the right direction, but hopefully I can get better and not lose these matches. It’s been an incredible experience. I was here a week early just training, so just soaking it all in and being around all those great players, it’s nice to see.
“I’ll definitely use that to try and be here more often, not as a wildcard.”
But also she has used this opportunity to get more closer with some of the top Americans including Gauff, Navarro and Pegula and learn off them.
“Emma (Navarro), Coco (Gauff), Jess (Pegula), all of those. It’s been nice to get to know them and be on a more familiar basis. I mean, honestly I haven’t had like advice talks with them this tournament, which is nice. You’re in the same locker room, so you kind of are equals this week.
“But in the past they’ve definitely said, ‘just keep working, try to get better’. But it’s nice to see just how humble and down to earth those girls are.”
This also helped her as Gauff said that she waited for her after she finished her match and offered her some words of encouragement and support.
“I saw her after the match, and I just told her, like, 'You played a great match, and you have a lot to be proud of'. Then I told her to have fun in the doubles. I waited, and then two hours later I went up to her, and actually, literally right after my match, I saw her and told her that. I wanted to tell her that, but I wanted to wait until the emotions were down," said Gauff.
“I just hope that she continues to enjoy it. I didn't know much of her until this year obviously. So I have seen her around.
“I just try to be nice because I have been in that position. Some people weren't nice; some people were. It was kind of just, like, you know, a lot of people - some players don't like the young stars coming up because they feel some type of way.
"I just try to be nice and welcoming and know that there's people rooting for her in and outside the locker room."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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