{"id":1774455,"date":"2026-02-16T17:30:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1774455"},"modified":"2026-02-16T17:30:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:30:26","slug":"iva-jovic-makes-nervous-admission-about-talking-to-idol-novak-djokovic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1774455","title":{"rendered":"Iva Jovic makes &#8216;nervous&#8217; admission about talking to &#8216;idol&#8217; Novak Djokovic"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Iva Jovic makes \u2018nervous\u2019 admission about talking to \u2018idol\u2019 Novak Djokovic<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/oli-dickson-jefford\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Oli Dickson Jefford                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"16 Feb 2026 5:30 PM\" data-ps-date=\"16 Feb 2026 5:30 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1771263026\"><br \/>\n                            16 Feb 2026 5:30 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/iva-jovic-makes-nervous-admission-about-talking-to-idol-novak-djokovic\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to facebook\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Fiva-jovic-makes-nervous-admission-about-talking-to-idol-novak-djokovic\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to twitter\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Fiva-jovic-makes-nervous-admission-about-talking-to-idol-novak-djokovic\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to linkedin\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/\/send\/?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Fiva-jovic-makes-nervous-admission-about-talking-to-idol-novak-djokovic\" aria-label=\"Share to whatsapp\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/share.flipboard.com\/bookmarklet\/popout?v=2&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Fiva-jovic-makes-nervous-admission-about-talking-to-idol-novak-djokovic\" aria-label=\"Share to flipboard\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"sm:hidden flex items-center space-x-5\">\n                        <a class=\"!text-share-icon hover:!text-share-icon-active flex items-center justify-center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" aria-label=\"Follow Tennis365 on Google Search\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Iva Jovic makes \u2018nervous\u2019 admission about talking to \u2018idol\u2019 Novak Djokovic\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Iva-Jovic-Novak-Djokovic-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: Iva Jovic and Novak Djokovic.\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Tennis players  Iva Jovic and Novak Djokovic.                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p>Iva Jovic has revealed that she still gets \u201cnervous\u201d talking to tennis icon Novak Djokovic, as she opened up about talking to her \u201cidol\u201d on tour.<\/p>\n<p>US ace Jovic is one of the hottest prospects in American tennis and in the women\u2019s game as a whole, with the 18-year-old long-recognised as a burgeoning talent.<\/p>\n<p>The teen star was born and raised in California but has Serbian heritage, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/who-are-iva-jovic-family-parents-bojan-jelena-jovic-and-sister-mia-jovic\">with her father, Bojan, born in the city of Leskovac, before emigrating to the US alongside his wife, Jelena<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Jovic has often spoken about how Djokovic is her idol, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/iva-jovic-set-wta-rankings-breakthrough-rising-star-pays-djokovic-seles-tribute\">and she paid tribute to both the 24-time Grand Slam champion and Monica Seles after beating Priscilla Hon in the second round of the Australian Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The 18-year-old is in action at the Dubai Tennis Championships this week, a tournament in which Djokovic is a five-time champion in the men\u2019s singles draw.<\/p>\n<p>Jovic was asked in a recent interview with <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/2633104\/sport\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Arab News<\/em><\/a> if she would ask Djokovic for advice at the event \u2014 and admitted it might prove challenging.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, my God. Well, I hope \u2026 I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m brave enough to do that,\u201d Jovic replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m still a little nervous when I talk to him. He\u2019s definitely my idol, but yeah, I see him at every corner.<\/p>\n<h2>Tennis News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/emma-raducanu-health-concerns-grow-as-star-receives-medical-treatment-in-dubai-defeat\">Emma Raducanu health concerns grow as star receives medical treatment in Dubai defeat<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/felix-auger-aliassime-bold-victoria-mboko-grand-slam-statement-after-qatar-open\">Felix Auger-Aliassime issues bold Victoria Mboko message after compatriot\u2019s Qatar Open run<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m like, how many times did this guy win the tournament? I see him on every screen. But just try to be like Novak. I\u2019m going to keep it that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jovic was not in action at the Qatar Open last week, though started her Dubai Tennis Championships campaign with a battling 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 victory over Kamilla Rakhimova on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The teen star has been one of the form players of the season so far, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/iva-jovics-prize-money-wta-rankings-points-australian-open\">with the American most notably reaching her first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, prior to her Melbourne campaign, Jovic was also a semi-finalist at the Auckland Open and a finalist at the Hobart International.<\/p>\n<p>The 18-year-old\u2019s hugely impressive start to the season has seen her reach a high of 20th in the WTA Rankings, with a 12-3 record in 2026 to her name after beating Rakhimova.<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on her start to the year and her Australian Open campaign, Jovic revealed that consistency was her main target as she looks to continue her rise.<\/p>\n<p>She added: \u201cI like to think that it\u2019s surprising but not surprising, because obviously having great results and maybe some wins weren\u2019t expected, but I also know how hard I\u2019ve worked, and that good things tend to come when you put in the right work. So, surprised, but also not that surprised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgain, I think it\u2019s one thing to have a couple of those good results, but for me, the most important thing is consistency. So I want to establish myself as a player who\u2019s going deep every single week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jovic is set to face Diana Shnaider in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Read Next<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/wta-tour\/wta-rankings-rybakina-poised-overtake-swiatek-mboko-makes-top-10-debut-muchova-8\">WTA Rankings: Rybakina poised to overtake Swiatek as Mboko makes top-10 debut, Muchova +8<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iva Jovic makes \u2018nervous\u2019 admission about talking to \u2018idol\u2019 Novak Djokovic Oli Dickson Jefford 16 Feb 2026 5:30 PM Tennis players Iva Jovic and Novak Djokovic. Iva Jovic has revealed that she still gets \u201cnervous\u201d talking to tennis icon Novak Djokovic, as she opened up about talking to her \u201cidol\u201d on tour. US ace Jovic [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1774455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1774455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774455\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1774455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1774455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1774455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}