“I wrote it because I know my mind will go blank”: Iva Jovic reveals the one question she wants to ask her idol Novak Djokovic

America’s young tennis sensation Iva Jovic has revealed that she ‘can’t sleep’ after losing matches. The 17-year-old has already been identified as the one for the future and has produced some impressive performances in recent years.

This year, Jovic has featured in 54 matches, winning 37 and losing just 17. That included winning a title as well. She lifted the Guadalajara Open, a WTA 500 title, after beating Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa in the final with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Jovic’s most recent appearance was at the WTA 1000 event, the Wuhan Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the fourth round to the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-3. After that, Jovic featured in a detailed interview with Claytenis, during which she spoke about several topics.

One of them was her competitiveness, which, according to her, kept her awake after losing a match. Jovic, despite being aged just 17, stated that she ‘loves winning’ and that because of her own expectations, she ‘can’t sleep’ at night if things go wrong on the court.

“It’s not easy,” said Jovic. “Not because of the pressure, but because I really love winning and I don’t like losing. Every time I lose, it’s tough for me and I definitely can’t sleep well that night. But there are so many matches ahead of me – wins and losses will both come. I know I can’t afford to ride that emotional rollercoaster all the time, otherwise I’ll drive myself crazy. I’m working on it and I’m already better, but I still have a lot of progress to make.”

Joivc then went on to talk about her dreams. The 17-year-old stated that she dreams about ‘winning a tournament’. Jovic went on to explain that not only does she dream about winning tournaments, but in particular, she dreams about winning ‘big tournaments’.

“My dreams are sometimes weird, but most of them are about tennis,” said Jovic. “I dream about winning a tournament, about something amazing happening. Then I wake up and think, “Oh no, I really thought that happened.” I dream about the big tournaments I want to win, then wake up a little sad (laughs). But maybe it’s a good omen.”

Jovic’s coach is Tom Gutteridge, who is currently associated with the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Talking about how they conduct their business, Jovic stated that she has a ‘great relationship’ with Gutteridge and that he travels with her ‘almost every tournament’.

“He still works for USTA and we have a great relationship,” said Jovic. “Tom helps me a lot, travels with me to almost every tournament, and I’m so happy about that. There is not too much talk – we do specific drills to improve certain parts of my game. That’s what I prefer. Sometimes when there’s too much talking, things become too mechanical. Shots should feel natural – the best players in the world make it look effortless. I need to improve step by step. There’s always something to work on, but gradually, with small changes through practice.”

Jovic recently met one of her idols, Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic. The 38-year-old is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis, having won 24 Grand Slam titles. Earlier this year, Jovic told the interviewer that she had a selfie with Djokovic, but she did not like it because she did not look good in it.

When reminded of that during the interview, Jovic stated that she no longer needed it and that she had finally spoken with Djokovic, who, according to her, was very nice. Jovic also stated that Djokovic told her that she could ask him anything and that he would assist her.

“I don’t need a selfie anymore! Now we’ve gotten to know each other, we’ve had a conversation, and now we even say hi to each other,” said Jovic. “He’s really powerful. It was informal, relaxed. He just told me: “Whenever you have any questions, I’m here for you.” He’s very kind, very nice. I was a little shocked, it’s still strange for me that I know him. He follows me now, and of course I’ve followed him my whole life. It’s cool that we have a relationship now – I’ll definitely use that and ask him for advice.”

When asked what she would ask if she got a chance, Jovic took out her phone and said she had already written it down because her mind goes ‘blank’ when she speaks to him. Jovic shared that she would like to ask him how to react after a ‘loss’, something she believes she is not good at.  

“The first thing… Wait, I wrote it down,” said Jovic. “I wrote it down because when I get to that moment to talk to him, I know my mind will go blank. Here! Exactly what we’ve been talking about now – how he reacts after a loss, what goes through his mind. Also, I want to ask about meditation, breathing techniques, and things like that. More mental stuff – we all know he’s a master at that. He gets frustrated too sometimes, but he’s found the winning formula, the golden middle. His answer will probably be that you have to work on it a lot (laughs). It’s never easy!”