Is Iva Jovic actually the real deal or am I getting hyped by highlight reels?
I am a pretty casual tennis watcher trying to get more into the WTA, and I keep hearing this one name: Iva Jovic. She is 18, American, just hit a career-high world No. 13, won back-to-back titles in Guadalajara without dropping a set, and came from a set down to beat Harriet Dart and reach the China Open third round. That is a wild two years from outside the top 300. But I have been burned before buying into the next big thing too early. For people who actually follow tennis: is her game legitimately complete at 18, or is this a hot streak with a friendly draw? What does her ceiling actually look like, and what is the one thing that could hold her back?
1 answer
- The serve will decide it
I have watched enough tennis to know the pattern. Jovic's baseline game is already top-15 complete — she saved 11 of 12 break points against Bucsa in Guadalajara, that is composure, not luck. And winning two sets 6-3 after dropping the first against Dart means she solved the problem mid-match, not just outlasted her. The question is her serve. Two aces to three double faults is not going to cut it in a slam quarterfinal. If the serve tightens up, she is a real top-10 fixture. If not, she is a very good player who loses to the big hitters. I would buy the stock but not the hype yet — check back after she defends some points next spring.