American teenage prodigy Iva Jovic has taken the tennis world by storm since the start of 2026, reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, the fourth round at Wimbledon and now the fourth round at the ongoing US Open.
In the process, the 18-year-old has become the youngest American woman to reach three major Round of 16s in a calendar year since the great Venus Williams in 1998.
Here, we run down five fast facts about the rising tennis superstar.
1. Iva Jovic Speaks Fluent Serbian
Raised in Southern California by her parents, Bojan and Jelena — pharmacists who emigrated from former Yugoslavia in the early 2000s — Jovic grew up speaking Serbian at home and remains deeply connected to her roots as a fully bilingual speaker.
“For my parents, it was really important to them that I spoke Serbian, so that I could speak with my grandparents, my aunts and uncles,” Jovic said in an interview during the Cincinnati Open last year. “I’m super grateful that I have that because now at these international events, it’s another group of people that I can communicate with.”
Interestingly, Jovic revealed that her parents made up “little white lies” that they couldn’t speak English, forcing her and her sister to learn Serbian to communicate with them. Jovic is grateful for their lies as she’s proud of her Serbian-Croatian roots.
2. She Was Forced to Pivot to Tennis Due to the COVID-19 Lockdown in 2020
Although Jovic first picked up a tennis racquet at age 5, tennis was just a side hobby alongside competitive swimming, gymnastics and her favorite sport, soccer — which she played from age 7 to 14. That changed during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. With team sports completely shut down, she pivoted to tennis for its social distancing and accessibility. At age 12, Jovic fully committed to the sport, training intensely and even setting up a net on her neighborhood’s cul-de-sac driveway to practice.
“It was COVID that really forced me to focus on tennis,” she said earlier this year. “So, it wasn’t until I was maybe 14, 15 that I started doing well in the national tournaments.
“I just got addicted to the winning and the process. So that’s why I decided to stick with tennis.”
3. She Modelled Her Game After Idol Novak Djokovic
During his younger years, Novak Djokovic was dubbed a one-surface pony who could only excel on hard courts. Two decades later, he’s the G.O.A.T. of men’s tennis with a record 24 major titles, including seven on grass and three on clay.
It this aspect of the Serbian that inspired Jovic to look up to him. After she reached the third round at Roland Garros this year, she crystalized why she idolizes him.
“He’s a completely different player than when he was at the start of his career, technically, tactically, everything,” Jovic said of Djokovic.
“So to be able to improve that much when you’re playing every week is incredible. Not being stubborn in your ways, making changes, making improvements, is very important.
“So I hope I can keep that kind of open-minded mentality and be able to make changes, even though you’re competing all the time.”
4. Iva Jovic Has a Special Affinity for Zebras
The 18-year-old once revealed that she would have pursued a career as a veterinarian if she hadn’t excelled in tennis.
Her favorite animal? The zebra.
“It’s like a horse, but different,” Jovic said of zebras in a 2024 interview.
“I like that it’s different.”
5. Iva Jovic and Alex Eala are Besties
As highlighted during their third-round match at this year’s US Open, Jovic and Alex Eala have been good friends ever since they crossed paths at the 2022 US Open juniors.
“It says a lot about her as a person. I’m gonna start crying,” an emotional Jovic said of Eala. “Yeah, she’s incredible.”
Iva Jovic: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know About US Open Star