“I want to be the best I can be,” said a 15-year-old American teenager with a clarity beyond her age, more than a year ago, while she was still learning nuances of tennis before stepping onto the big stages. “I want to be in the top 10. I want to be one in the world. I want all of those things.” Fast forward to September 2025, and rising star Iva Jovic hasn’t flinched even a bit. In fact, she has already begun turning them into reality. Her ongoing campaign in Guadalajara is an inevitable proof. After showcasing her on-court prowess throughout the WTA 500 event, Jovic is on the brink of achieving her career’s biggest milestone. And mind you, she is just 17.

Currently, she is gearing up for her maiden WTA 500 final, just three years after turning pro. Remarkable, isn’t it? And now, her growing success has only added to her intrigue among tennis enthusiasts. Perhaps no better time than now. Here is all you need to know about Jovic’s roots, her parents, and her tennis love.

Who are her parents?

Iva Jovic was born in December 2007, in California, United States, to Bojan and Jelena Jovic. Neither parent has any connection to tennis whatsoever. They are pharmacists by profession. However, they have always shown tremendous support to boost Jovic’s dreams. Admiring their efforts in her career, she once said, “They work really hard with their jobs and to come to this country having to start from scratch and then work their way up, so I’ve learned you know you have to earn everything you have you have to work hard and just have to be persistent,”

She also has an elder sister named Mia Jovic. In fact, the latter played a crucial part in Iva taking up the racket sport at an early age of five. “Definitely me and my sister, just absolutely going at it in practice sets. We were fighting so much. I was a little bit of a menace because I just couldn’t stand losing.” As she recalls, when she lost, “there were so many fights and tantrums and everything. Those are definitely the earliest memories, but any fire is good, I think, in whatever way. Now I channel it into more positive directions, but before it was just me and my sister.”

What ethnicity are Iva Jovic’s parents?

When it comes to Bojan, and Jelena Jovic’s origin, it is an interesting story. While Ica Jovic’s father Bojan is Serbian, her mother Jelena hails from Croatia. Speaking of their US nationality, they originally moved to the country before Iva’s birth in 2007. But how? While talking about her parents’ migration to the U.S., the teenager previously revealed, “My mom got a green card on the lottery, so super random. They weren’t even married at the time. They were already in a relationship, but they got married, came here and they had to start from scratch.”

She added, “They didn’t have anything, really. They are pharmacists, so they had to do all their tests again and just work really hard to try and build a life coming from such a small country like that to the U.S. is not easy.”

Who is Iva Jovic’s sibling, Mia Jovic?

Mia Jovic is Iva Jovic’s elder sister, and she is also a tennis player. Unlike her younger sibling, though, she has not turned pro yet. She is currently playing at her university, the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). Sharing a fun experience of learning nuances of tennis from Mia, the 17-year-old previously revealed, “I would always play sets against her try to beat her and never really succeed so I’m grateful that I had her to look up to and to practice with.”

Mia Jovic’s player profile and achievements at university level:

• Height – 5’10”
• Career Highlights – ITA Scholar-Athlete (2025, 2024), Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2025), Big Ten Spring Academic Honor Roll member (2025), 5-time Athletic Director’s Honor Roll member (last Winter 2025)
• Social Media: Instagram (@mia_j05)

But is there anyone else apart from her sister who she looks up to? Of course, yes. She has grown up idolizing the biggest names of the racket sport. “I remember watching the Big Three (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic] all the time. Novak was a huge inspiration for me, and then watching Serena (Williams) dominate. Then in recent years, watching Jannik Sinner, I love watching him and how he plays. I try to copy as much as I can from him.”

Iva Jovic’s relationship with her parents

Iva Jovic has always considered her parents to be her role models. She shares a precious bond with both her parents, Bojan and Jelena, and it becomes evident from her honest admission last month during a press conference amid her Cincinnati Open run.

“I think I learned a lot from them about hard work and having to earn everything that’s coming your way. They’re really great people. I’m so blessed to have them.” It appears their motivation and encouragement are in full effect this week in Guadalajara as Jovic chases her first-ever WTA 500 crown. A year ago, she was outside of top 300. But thanks to her rapid rise, the 17-year-old has already broken into the top 80.

In fact, her Guadalajara run has further boosted her ranking. Prior to the event, she was No.73. But after entering the summit clash, she now sits at No.48 in live rankings. Should the American prodigy win the final against her Colombian opponent Emiliana Arango, Jovic will grab the 40th position.

Now that is absolutely impressive, given the fact that she began her 2025 season at No.191. In June, she broke into the top 100 after earning her first-ever pro-level trophy. In the final of the WTA 125 Ilkley, she beat Canada’s Rebecca Marino in straight sets. It will be intriguing to see if she can clinch her biggest career title yet against Arango on Monday.