Iva Jovic’s French Open formula: Winning on court, fun off of itIva Jovic, 18, made the Australian Open quarterfinal earlier this year and is ranked No. 17. Susan Mullane-Imagn ImagesD’Arcy MaineMultiple AuthorsMay 29, 2026, 01:33 PM ET
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PARIS — It might be easy to forget that Iva Jovic is just 18 years old.
She is in only her second year on tour, but has already won a WTA title at the 500-level Guadalajara Open, reached the Australian Open quarterfinal — and is ranked No. 17 in the world.
But while she almost always looks composed on the court, as she did during a 6-0, 6-3 dismantling of the far-more experienced Emma Navarro during the second round at Roland Garros on Thursday, so much about being a professional tennis player remains new to her. While it might look routine, she’s learning as she goes.
And she is the first to admit that tennis can be a confusing sport at times.
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“I’m a pretty logical person and I like to think things through and make sense of everything, and tennis just flat out doesn’t make sense in a lot of ways,” Jovic told ESPN earlier this month. “So that’s where I get wrapped up sometimes, like, ‘Oh my God, why did I do that? Why did this happen? How did I lose this match?’ But then I’ll go and beat this person who’s supposedly ranked higher or whatever.
“So I’ve definitely tried to adopt a little bit of that mentality where you almost like dumb yourself down for the purposes of your sanity, instead of kind of over-analyzing, which is something I like to do. I’m just trying to do that more.”
Now into the third round at the French Open for the first time in her career, she will face four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, the No. 16 seed, on Saturday. It’s a monumental opportunity that will likely get a large amount of attention, but it’s one she’s ready and waiting for as she continues up the ranks and tries to prove herself.
After playing in three tournaments on the European red clay prior to Paris, Jovic believes she is getting better with every match she plays on the surface. Compiling a 3-3 record before arriving, Jovic lost to Navarro in three sets in Strasbourg last week. She got her revenge — and showed how much she improved in a short amount of time.
Jovic is also grateful to be among a talented group of young players in their late teens or early 20s. She knows she can go to them for everything from coping with a tough result to packing advice and restaurant recommendations — or to just hang out on an off night in a new city.
Although that too was an adjustment.
“Our off season is practically not existent, right?” stated Jovic. “We’re just going all the time. Before, I always wanted to separate tennis and the competition and then real life over here, but now you have to find a way for them to coexist because otherwise you have no time for real life …
“Obviously the players on tour are competitors, but they’re also the people that you see every single day, so if you’re not going to be friends with at least a couple of them, I mean, it’s going to be quite lonely. You have to find a way to make the tennis world and the people in it your part of your personal life too, because otherwise I think you just go crazy.”
ON SATURDAY, THE day before the main draw at the French Open got underway, Alexandra Eala posted video and pictures from her 21st birthday celebration in Paris with Jovic, Eva Lys and Zeynep Sonmez.
“That’s definitely not just for social media,” Lys, 24, stated during an interview on Tennis Channel. “We actually had a great time and we also are almost in contact every day, sending each other memes, just laughing about everything that’s happening on tour.”
Jovic cited all three as close friends, and laughed as she shared how much she and Eala enjoyed taking pictures while out. The two also went out in Rome during the Italian Open, posting pictures to Instagram of the adventure.
Jovic, Lys and Sonmez came together again to celebrate Eala’s birthday on the practice court over the weekend, surprising her with a birthday cake.
On Tuesday, Jovic and Eala played against one another in the first round at Roland Garros.
Jovic won, 6-4, 6-2, and the two had a warm embrace at the net after the match. She had previously acknowledged that while playing a friend was par for the course as a professional tennis player, it also could be hard.
“You have to be okay with it, but there’s certain moments and matches and some days something will bother me that other days doesn’t really bother me that much,” she stated. “I’ve gotten better, but is it a little weird? Yeah.”
After defeating Eala, Jovic posted a picture on Instagram of the two hugging and wrote, “One of those days I wish there could be two winners. [Love] you Alex.” Eala responded, “No one I’d rather share the court with. Love you girl.”
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In that same television interview, Lys stated she understood not everyone would be able to maintain close friendships against their competitors.
“I feel like everyone should do whatever they feel good with, and if they’re like, “Hey, if I’m getting too close to someone and I play with them, I’m not going to play my best,’ then don’t do it,” Lys, who lost in the second round on Wednesday, stated. “But I feel like for us, it’s not a secret that we’re competitors. It’s not a secret that whenever I go out and play Alex or Iva or Zeynep, I want to win. They want to win. And I don’t know, if something private I shared [at] a dinner is making them play better against me, well then I got to step up my game.”
While previous generations on the WTA Tour were known for their often frosty relationships, things have changed in recent years. In a 2024 interview with ESPN, Taylor Townsend, now 30 and part of the top-seeded doubles pairing at Roland Garros, stated the pandemic made a difference in how everyone treated one another. “I think after [the] COVID [suspension], it was like everyone valued relationships more because we went through a period of isolation,” she stated.
Many of the current young players grew up together on the junior circuit and have a longtime familiarity. Jovic stated “all of the Gen Z girls” were friendly with one another, and included 19-year-old Victoria Mboko and 22-year-old Coco Gauff also as part of her group of friends. She stated they will often go out to dinner, for a walk or to the movies. Gauff, a seven-year tour veteran despite her young age, has taken many of her peers under her wing as they’ve come on the scene.
Gauff told reporters at the Australian Open in January that her first few years on tour were “very lonely” because of her age and not being able to relate to many others in the locker room.
“I think that was a hard transition of having friends in juniors, and coming on pro and no one talking to you,” Gauff stated. “I do make the conscious effort, even if I don’t know them, just saying hi or saying good luck, and then you start to talk and then you become friends, and it’s cool.”
She added that the last two years have been her happiest on tour because of all of the “friendly faces in the locker room” that she can talk to.
Christopher Eubanks, the former world No. 29 and a longtime friend of Gauff’s, stated being welcoming just comes naturally to her and appreciates how it sets the tone for others. “I do know one thing about her is when she sees someone who’s on tour, like some of the younger girls just getting on tour, she is very kind and she does always speak and she smiles and she says hello and she’s just being herself and I think that creates a safe space.
“From there, maybe they’ll practice together, and when you practice together with somebody, you’re going to talk on changeovers, you’re going to drink a little water, make some jokes, and then maybe practice again at the next tournament. That’s how friendships form.”
And sometimes the practice court can extend to the doubles court. Gauff has played doubles over the past year with both Eala and Mboko, as has Jovic. And Eala and Mboko were slated to team up together in Paris before withdrawing ahead of the first round.
Mboko, currently ranked No. 9, stated having friends on tour gave her a much-needed chance to decompress on the road.
“Whenever we can go to the mall or something, take our time and head away from tennis and just relax and have a little bit of fun off court, I think that’s super important, because we’re on the tour for so long, and you’re not really — you don’t really see your close friends,” Mboko stated this week. “So making those kinds of friendships on tour I think is super important to have a little peace of mind. They’re all such great humans, so it’s nice to have them.”
They all frequently appear in one another’s social media videos and collaborate on TikTok, too. Gauff and Lys did “the easiest dance” in April, Eala and Mboko did the “Miranda, we’re the only single people anywhere” trend. And Jovic and Gauff (and Eubanks) were part of a large contingent of Americans that went out for gelato while in Rome, with a review video for “The Player’s Box” podcast’s social media accounts that went viral.
Jovic stated she couldn’t help but be starstruck at various times during the Italian outing earlier this month.
“I mean, I was there at the table and Tommy [Paul] and Ben [Shelton] were right there, Coco was right here, Jess [Pegula] was over there,” Jovic stated. “I was like, ‘Is this real?’ I told them at the end, I was like, ” I can’t believe you guys are normal people.’ I’m shocked the conversations that we’re having because it’s the same conversations I’m having with my 18-year-old friends at home.
“It’s like, I grew up watching these people all on TV when they’re in superhero mode. And then you’re like, ‘Oh my God, they’re like normal people. It’s insane.”
Jovic will play Naomi Osaka in the third round on Saturday. Robert Prange/Getty ImagesJOVIC IS GETTING USED to life on tour and navigating all of the relationship dynamics that come with it. After losing to Gauff in the Round of 16 at the Italian Open after winning the first set, Jovic was naturally upset with herself. Explaining she was having a “slight breakdown,” she almost immediately left the site in anger.”I just peaced out of there,” she stated. “I just really didn’t want to be there anymore.”But in her haste, she forgot all of her things, including a puffer jacket, in her locker. She then found herself texting everyone she could think of who was still on site — presumably including Gauff — to beg them to retrieve her things and bring them to Paris for her. It’s all part of the learning curve. (She’s working on it.)Packing for the long stretches of the tour, including the several-month European stretch she’s currently on, remains an artform she hasn’t mastered yet. How many nice outfits do you bring for four months on the road? Do you unpack when arriving at the hotel for a tournament or leave everything in the suitcase? These are still things she’s trying to figure out.Born and raised in Southern California as the child of Serbian immigrants, Jovic grew up admiring 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic. It’s still a thrill every time she gets a chance to interact with him. “Another superhero brought down to earth moment,” she stated about their first time meeting.
The 39-year-old Djokovic has followed her career and given her advice when they cross paths. And seeing him up close — and all of the hard work and dedication he puts into every aspect of his life — has been eye-opening for her. It’s been a surreal experience for her in getting to know him.
“He’s been the childhood idol and to be able to say that I know him, that he’s my friend, mentor, whatever you want to call it, is something that I’ll carry with me throughout my entire life,” she stated.
On Saturday, she’ll play Osaka, another player she grew up watching, in her words, “a ton.” They have never played before but their admiration was mutual. Jovic called her “one of the cleanest ball strikers on tour” on Thursday and predicted a “battle.”
“I’m really impressed by her,” Osaka stated of Jovic. “I think she’s gotten here very quickly. Well, I can say quickly, but obviously it’s been years of hard work for her. I really like her. I watched her play [Jasmine] Paolini [at the] Australian Open a little bit. She is really, really good obviously.”
A victory would propel Jovic into the second week and potentially set up a daunting clash against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, whom Jovic lost to at the Australian Open. It would be another incredible opportunity in a season full of them.
For as long as she’s been playing tennis, Jovic’s goals have been to win a major and be No. 1 in the world. But really, she just wants to be the best player she can be. Whatever that means. And being around her peers and her idols has only made all of her dreams feel even more attainable.
“Before I thought being my best would maybe, realistically get me into the top hundred, so now that perception has slightly changed,” Jovic stated. “You know when you see those people who do those things that everyone is dreaming of doing? It’s easy to think, ‘That won’t ever happen to me. I’m not the person that the dream will come true for.’ But then when you get a little bit closer to it, you start to think, ‘Wait a minute. Why not me?’
“And then you get to know all these players and see that they’re actually just normal human beings, and you think, ‘Well, why can’t that be me?’ So now I’m definitely in that position and I want to be the top dog. I want to be No. 1 and win those big tournaments.”
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