Rick Macci has made a bold claim about Iva Jovic’s future ranking after the 17-year-old won her first WTA Tour title at the Guadalajara Open.
The teenage sensation, who also made history at the Cincinnati Open, demonstrated her exceptional talent during a 6-4 6-1 victory over Emiliana Arango in the final.
Jovic eclipsed Mirra Andreeva on Sunday, becoming the youngest WTA singles champion this season at 17 years and 283 days old.
The young American will break into the WTA top 50 for the first time, eclipsing another record previously held by Andreeva.
Rick Macci, the former coach of Serena Williams, has weighed in on Jovic’s success and predicted how far up the rankings she can climb by the end of 2026.
Rick Macci says Iva Jovic will be in the WTA top 10 by the end of 2026
Rick Macci is a legendary tennis coach widely credited with assisting Venus and Serena Williams during their early development.
Macci clearly has one eye on up-and-coming American talents, and he has spotted another in the form of Iva Jovic, whom he has predicted to make big strides in 2026.
On X [Twitter], Macci said: “Iva Jovic age 17 is the real deal as mentally is cut from a different cloth.
“On top of that she hits the ball clean and can control time. Top ten is by year end 2026 and once there a permanent fix.”
Who’s to say that Iva Jovic can’t reach the WTA top 10 by the end of 2026? Winning a first WTA Tour title at 17 years old is no mean feat, and Jovic has proved she has the talent and courage to rise up the rankings at a rapid pace.
Jovic is simply a cut above other talents in her age group, as demonstrated by her performance against Emiliana Arango on Sunday.
Iva Jovic’s performance in the Guadalajara Open final
Jovic proved why she is such a promising WTA prospect during her contest against Emiliana Arango.
The key factor in Jovic’s triumph concerned the pressure she placed on her opponent’s serve. The American won 57 per cent of all points on Arango’s first serve: a remarkable statistic considering Arango made 73 per cent of her first serves during the match.
Jovic also won 60 per cent of points on the Arango second serve, while engineering 11 break-point opportunities.
However, Jovic must improve in certain areas. After all, Arango engineered nine break-points on the Jovic serve, breaking the American three times.
Overall, the young American put in a superb performance: one she can take great pride in and learn a lot from moving forward.
