Iva Jovic and Novak Djokovic have struck up an unlikely partnership.
During this year’s Australian Open, Jovic shared how Djokovic has been helping her.
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“So we’ve been in communication, and I feel like we’ve built a little bit of a relationship now, which is amazing,” Jovic said during a press conference.
Now appearing as a guest on the ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘ podcast, Jovic gave an update on that relationship with Djokovic.
Iva Jovic says Novak Djokovic watches ‘many’ of her matches and gives ‘unbelievably detailed’ advice
“He is number one. He is my number-one idol. There is nobody above Novak [Djokovic],” said Jovic.
“So that’s so strange, and to have idolised someone for so long, and then to talk to them and see, ‘Oh my god, they are literally a normal human being that has the same problems that any of us would have’.
“You speak with him for two seconds, and you can see the amount of work he’s put in, not only physically, but mentally. He has a presence about him.
“The way he speaks about tennis, his tennis IQ is incredibly high.
“He’s watched my matches, he’s given me a lot of tips about how I can become a better player, things that I need to adjust, so I hope that I can add that versatility to my game that Novak was able to do throughout his career.”
Jovic shared the types of messages she receives from the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
“He’s texting me after matches, like analysis, or there will be the WTA or a tournament making a clip of a point that I played well, and he will be like, ‘I love what you did in this point, you should try to do that more,” she said.
“Or before, specifically, I’ve played one opponent, ‘You’ve got to make sure you try to do this, with this one.’
“It’s not like your average, ‘you’ve got this’, it’s unbelievably specific and detailed to the point where it’s obvious that he’s watched many of my matches.
“I don’t know where he finds the time in his day, but he makes an effort with the young players.”
Djokovic has clearly taken an interest in Jovic’s career, but just how well has she performed so far in 2026?
Iva Jovic has established herself in the top 20 and played a Grand Slam quarter-final in 2026
The 18-year-old is one of the fastest-rising stars in women’s tennis, and her results prove it.
Jovic reached her second WTA final in January and qualified for the Australian Open quarter-finals shortly after.
Iva Jovic’s results in 2026
| Tournament | Performance | Match wins | Defeat(s) |
| ASB Classic | Semi-final | 3 (Gabriela Andrea Knutson, Sara Bejlek, Sofia Costoulas) | Elina Svitolina |
| Hobart International | Final | 4 (Janice Tjen, Renata Zarazua, Magda Linette, Taylah Preston) | Elisabetta Cocciaretto |
| Australian Open | Quarter-final | 4 (Katie Volynets, Priscilla Hon, Jasmine Paolini, Yulia Putintseva) | Aryna Sabalenka |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | Third round | 2 (Kamilla Rakhimova, Diana Shnaider) | Jessica Pegula |
| ATX Open | Second round | 1 (Anna Blinkova) | Ajla Tomljanovic |
| Indian Wells | Second round | 0 | Camila Osorio |
| Miami Open | Third round | 1 (Paula Badosa) | Talia Gibson |
| Charleston Open | Semi-final | 3 (Alycia Parks, Sofia Kenin, Anna Kalinskaya) | Jessica Pegula |
| Billie Jean King Cup play-off vs Belgium | Lost | 0 | Hanne Vandewinkel, Greet Minnen |
Those results have seen her reach a career-high ranking of 16th.
The teenager is already ranked above several Grand Slam winners, including Madison Keys, Emma Raducanu, and Jelena Ostapenko.
WTA Rankings of Grand Slam winners and Iva Jovic
| Rank | Name | Country | Grand Slam wins | Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 4 | 10,895 |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 2 | 8,500 |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | USA | 2 | 7,279 |
| 4 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 6 | 7,273 |
| 15 | Naomi Osaka | Japan | 4 | 2,324 |
| 16 | Iva Jovic | USA | 0 | 2,270 |
| 17 | Madison Keys | USA | 1 | 2,161 |
| 27 | Emma Raducanu | Great Britain | 1 | 1,465 |
| 40 | Jelena Ostapenko | Latvia | 1 | 1,314 |
| 45 | Marketa Vondrousova | Czechia | 1 | 1,263 |
| 52 | Barbora Krejcikova | Czechia | 2 | 1,156 |
| 68 | Sofia Kenin | USA | 1 | 952 |
| 127 | Bianca Andreescu | Canada | 1 | 584 |
| 208 | Victoria Azarenka | Belarus | 2 | 340 |
| 396 | Sloane Stephens | USA | 1 | 151 |
| 479 | Venus Williams | USA | 7 | 113 |
Jovic will surely have her sights on winning a Grand Slam of her own before too long.
First, she will attempt to win her maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid.
Seeded 15th, Jovic will play Poland’s Magda Linette in the second round of the Madrid Open later this week.
