Iva Jovic has formed a close friendship with fellow tennis star Victoria Mboko, with the duo even displaying their bond by playing doubles together on tour. The American opened up about how Mboko’s support made her transition to the professional circuit much easier, while also revealing why they won’t compete in doubles together at the 2026 French Open.
Why Iva Jovic and Victoria Mboko Won’t Play Doubles at the 2026 French Open
After her fourth-round exit at the Italian Open, Jovic has chosen to compete at the Internationaux de Strasbourg as part of her preparations for the French Open. While speaking to Match Point Canada ahead of her opening match, the 18-year-old mentioned how Mboko’s friendship helped make the “intimidating” atmosphere of the WTA Tour feel much more welcoming.
“Yeah, it’s great not only on the doubles but just to see familiar faces around at the tournaments. I think last year and even the year before when I would just sprinkle in a couple WTA tournaments wherever I could get wild cards. It’s very intimidating when you don’t know anyone and there’s no one your age and really no one you can relate to. So, it makes the whole environment a little bit more comfortable. And I think when you when you feel better, you play better, right? So, it’s just good to have that friendship,” she said.
The pair recently teamed up for doubles at the Madrid Open, where they suffered a first-round exit. However, Jovic explained that the partnership was about having fun, while praising the Canadian for being refreshingly normal.
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“And I love playing doubles with her. It’s fun, you know? We don’t deep it too much, but we get out there, we have a good time, work on whatever we need to work on for the singles. So, she’s great. She’s very normal, you know, off the court, which is refreshing. So, we can talk about anything,” she added.
The 18-year-old also disclosed that they plan to continue playing doubles together in the future, even though Mboko had “rejected” her proposal to partner up at the French Open, having already teamed up with Alexandra Eala.
“Yes, we we definitely will. I was asking her for French, but unfortunately got rejected. She was already set. Okay. But, we’ll we’ll definitely get back on the court. We’re practicing together tomorrow. So, me and Vicki are all around there,” Jovic said.
Victoria Mboko is also in action at the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg as the No. 1 seed and will face Loïs Boisson in her opening match after a first-round bye. Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Iva Jovic is set to lock horns with fellow American Emma Navarro in the second round.
