Iva Jovic has never been shy about her admiration for Novak Djokovic, and the respect she has for the 24-time Grand Slam winner seems to be mutual.

Jovic met Djokovic for the first time at Wimbledon last year, and since then, the pair have grown closer. The connection makes sense – while Jovic grew up in America, her family is Serbian.

That relationship was on full display at this year’s Australian Open when Djokovic took some time to share his advice with Jovic before she went on to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in Melbourne.

Before stepping onto court for her debut at the Charleston Open, Jovic spoke about what stands out most about Djokovic.

Iva Jovic picks what she thinks is ‘the most impressive thing’ about Novak Djokovic

Speaking to the media ahead of her first match at the WTA 500 event, Jovic mentioned that she’s been most impressed by how Djokovic prepares away from the court and has even started adopting some of his routines.

“What he’s done on the court, people probably thought impossible, right? It’s unbelievable what he’s done as a player,” Jovic said about Djokovic, as quoted on the official Charleston Open tournament website.

“But the most impressive thing to me is just him as a person, everything he does that makes him a good tennis player.

Jovic also noted how Djokovic meditates regularly and seems very in tune with himself. She added that she has started tweaking her own routines to include some ideas from players like Novak but stressed that it’s important for every athlete to figure out what works best for them individually.

Iva Jovic hopes to speak to ‘special’ Andre Agassi in the future

Djokovic isn’t the only Grand Slam winner Jovic admires. She’s also spoken about Andre Agassi before the start of Charleston.

Agassi ended his career in 2006, a year before the 18-year-old was born, and she has explained why he is someone she wants to connect with.

“Andre is a special guy, and I think the way he talks about tennis is fascinating,” said Jovic. “It’s obvious that he’s a very, very smart individual.

“It’s very calculated, like a chess match the way he speaks about the game. It’s very cool. Hopefully, I can speak with him in the future.”

Jovic has already had an impressive start to 2026 after jumping from outside the top 30 to her current ranking of number 16.

The American teenager will look to continue climbing up the rankings in Charleston, where Jovic will play Alycia Parks in her opening match.

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