“I think a lot of tennis players, we’re very stubborn and can be a little bit extreme because we’re just perfectionists, right, and tennis is one of those sports where it’s physically impossible to be perfect and to not miss.
“I try to identify who am I as a player, what is my game style, and then you just build around that. And I try to just emulate certain people, think about players that have been extremely successful in this sport and what do they have that I don’t have—someone who plays similar to you, but maybe you don’t have all those little fine tunes that they have.”
Jovic sought to employ some of those improvements against fellow American Alycia Parks in Charleston, who she played exactly one year ago in Bogota.
“I was trying to mix up my return positions a little bit more, which I think I did a better job,” she said after the straight-sets victory. “I mixed up my serve quite a bit with the second, and I think that made it a little bit more effective. I didn’t get broken after that first game.
“Maybe could have mixed in some more drop shots, but there was one attempt. So I’ll take that well and definitely be better on some defensive skills. So, it’s getting there. I would like to see even more, but I think it’s on a good program.”
If this is how Jovic competes with room to grow, it may not be long before players are looking to emulate her.
