Kovacevic’s Rise: Cold Showers, Skydiving And A Little Help From Novak | ATP Tour

In July, Kovacevic reached his maiden ATP Challenger Tour ultimate in Indianapolis, Indiana, the place he relinquished six championship factors to China’s Wu Yibing, who prevailed 6-7(10), 7-6(13), 6-3. Within the semi-finals, Kovacevic beat #NextGenATP star Ben Shelton, who had reached the ultimate on the Rome (Georgia) Challenger the earlier week.

Kovacevic, who was ranked exterior the High 350 at the start of this season, additionally reached the semi-finals on the Little Rock and Lexington Challengers this summer season.

Now within the semi-finals on the ATP 250 occasion in Seoul, the place Kovacevic has upset three High-100 gamers (Kecmanovic, Tseng, McDonald), the teenager is at a career-high mark 166 within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Rankings.

Earlier than Kovacevic turned skilled in 2021, he had a standout collegiate profession on the College of Illinois, the place he was a two-time ITA All American and graduated with a Bachelor’s diploma in finance.

“In March 2021, I performed the Cleveland Challenger and went from qualies to the semi-finals,” Kovacevic stated. “I knew it was my time to show professional. My dad needed to persuade me, as a result of I used to be ranked 700 at the moment, however I’m glad I did.”

When Kovacevic made his Grand Slam qualifying debut on the 2021 US Open, he superior to the ultimate spherical earlier than falling brief to Argentine Marco Trungelliti. The next day, the American was set to do some stretching on the health club when a well-recognized face invited him to tag alongside for a health session: Novak Djokovic.

Kovacevic’s father, Milan, is Serbian and his mom hails from Bosnia. When ‘Aleks’ was youthful, the household would take an annual journey to Serbia. When Kovacevic met Djokovic at Flushing Meadows, he disregarded the rust of his Serbian-speaking talents to speak with the 21-time main champion.

“My ultimate spherical qualifying match towards Trungelliti, I had seven or eight match factors. It was one of the vital heartbreaking losses I’ve ever had. The following day, once I was within the health club, Novak advised me he heard about my match and requested if I needed to affix his health session.

“I used to be shocked. He was chasing historical past that week and didn’t have to provide me his time. It was an unimaginable expertise. On the finish, Novak advised me that I’ve acquired a vibrant future and I ought to practice with him in Serbia.”

At coronary heart, Kovacevic is an adrenaline junkie. Whether or not it’s snowboarding, jet snowboarding, or skydiving, he’s prepared for a thrill. He credit his angle of getting exterior of his consolation zone as a part of why he’s discovered success on the court docket.

“I dwell by the philosophy that if I do one factor on daily basis that makes me uncomfortable, it would make me a harder individual in life,” Kovacevic stated. “I take chilly showers within the morning. These issues sharpen you as an individual. It makes you stronger on the court docket while you face adversity on the market.

“In faculty, we performed the primary spherical of the NCAA Event in Oklahoma and after we received, our coach [Brad Dancer] pulled the van round and advised us to get in. He advised us that we had been going to get our reward from a booster, which we obtained yearly. He advised us to not submit something on social media or name our dad and mom till after we get the reward.

“We acquired to a small airport with a skydiving signal. I stated, ‘No manner!’. I wasn’t going. Just a few of us stayed on the bottom, however after three hours, we lastly determined to go. It was actually probably the greatest moments of my life. Normally it’s 10,000 toes however this place had clearance to do 15,000 toes. It was a minute straight freefall. It acquired us unfastened for the matches the following day for certain.”

Kovacevic, who now lives and trains in Boca Raton, Florida, will subsequent play Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka within the semi-finals of the Eugene Korea Open Tennis Championships.

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