Teen giantkiller Iva Jovic praised “kind and attentive” Novak Djokovic after her win at Australian Open.
According to France 24, Jovic, the youngest player in the women's top 100, stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini on Friday to make the last 16.
It was the biggest scalp of her burgeoning career and Serbian great Djokovic, who is 20 years her senior, had a hand in it.
Jovic said, "Actually I spoke to Novak a little bit. So it was pretty incredible. He gave me some very attentive tips for my game and something I can try to incorporate into this match that I just played. So that was one of the things in the forefront of my mind because I think when Novak gives you some advice, you follow it."
Asked what advice he gave her, Jovic replied, "It was just to open up the court a little bit better, to not rush into the shots all the time, find some more width. So I tried to do that, and it ended well. So I'm just going to try to keep listening to Novak."
While Jovic is American, her father is from Serbia and her mother from Croatia.
Jovic claimed her maiden title in 2025 at Guadalajara and started the year in sizzling form, making the semi-finals in Auckland and the final at Hobart.
Seeded 29 in Melbourne, she will play Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.
