Teenage sensation Iva Jović recently spoke about the kindness shown to her by fellow tennis players like Coco Gauff and others on the Tour. The 17-year-old turned pro in June 2022 and made her professional debut as a wildcard at a tournament in Los Angeles.
Jović made her Grand Slam debut as a wildcard at the 2024 US Open, where she defeated Magda Linette in the first round before falling to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round.
What Did Iva Jović Say About the Advice Given to Her by Coco Gauff and Others on the WTA Tour?
Earlier this year, Jović won her first WTA title at the 2025 Guadalajara Open. In her run to the title, she first defeated Katarzyna Kawa (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) and eighth seed Camila Osorio (6-4, 6-2) in the first and second rounds, respectively.
In the quarterfinals, the World No. 35 eliminated qualifier Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva (6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6)) and secured her spot in the final by overcoming wildcard Nikola Bartůňková (6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3) in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Jović defeated Emiliana Arango with a score of 6-4, 6-1 to claim the 2025 Guadalajara Open title. This victory made her the youngest American to win a tour-level title since Gauff achieved the same in 2021.
In a recent interview with Clay, Jović was asked about who made her feel “comfortable” on Tour after turning pro. She mentioned that players like her “good friend” Tereza Valentová, as well as Gauff and other American players, have been very supportive. She stated that practicing with the players has also helped her “build a relationship” with them.
“There are a few girls from juniors, especially Tereza (Valentova), who is a good friend of mine. Coco (Gauff) always says hi, the other American girls are super nice, and of course the Serbians – Olga (Danilović), (Aleksandra) Krunić… Also, when you hit with someone, that naturally builds a relationship. There are lots of nice girls out here,” Jović said.
The 17-year-old mentioned that players like Gauff have advised her not to get upset after losing a match and emphasized the importance of working every day to improve.
“They do give advice, and it usually comes down to not getting too upset over one match or one result. They tell me there are so many tournaments, so much time, and that I just have to keep working to get better every day,” she added.
Most recently, Jović competed at the 2025 Wuhan Open, where she defeated Kamilla Rakhimova in the first qualifying round before losing to Varvara Gracheva in the second qualifying round.
However, a withdrawal from her compatriot Amanda Anisimova enabled Jović to enter the main draw as a lucky loser. She won her opening match against Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro and was eliminated in the third round by qualifier Kateřina Siniaková.