Dubai
Viktor Jovic may be a 12-year-old, but thinks he can be the next big thing in tennis. Well, considering he is a Serbian who idolises Novak Djokovic, he is certainly worth a closer look.
At such a young age, Jovic is level-headed and knows what he wants as he lines up his tennis targets. First up on this list is his maiden visit to the 53rd Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship to be held in December.
The 53rd Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship hosts the best players in the under-12 and under-14 age categories. This year’s edition, to be held from December 14-23, already has more than 1,400 players from over 74 countries travelling to South Florida to compete in one of the most prestigious tournaments on the amateur tennis circuit.
“This tournament is going to be like the start of a dream for me. It’s not that I have not played in competitions before, but it’s just that the Orange Bowl is so huge and winning it would definitely be a target,” Jovic told Gulf News.
Jovic got introduced to tennis as a four-year-old in Singapore, where his pilot father was posted. Six years later, the family relocated to the UAE and Jovic continued with his tennis winning a few tournaments.
Full-time job
Earlier this year, Jovic turned his attention to Europe winning four singles titles in the under-12 category, including a couple in Serbia and one each in France and Montenegro. However, his moment of pride came earlier this summer when he ended runner-up in the under-12 section at the European Tennis Championships. This was followed by the youngster winning three straight titles in the under-14 category in his native Serbia.
“When I started playing tennis, it was more of fun and entertainment. Now I realise how much tennis means to me. It is like a full-time job and I am loving it,” Jovic admitted.
Tennis has taken up so much of his time and attention that Jovic now divides his time between the UAE and Belgrade. When he’s down here, Jovic doesn’t mind spending long hours on the tennis courts in the company of his coach Essam Jalali, a former Davis Cup player from Tunisia, at the Emirates Tennis Academy.
However, it is not all training as later this month Jovic will be travelling for a couple of tournaments in Turkey followed by his trip across the Atlantic in December.
With the Orange Bowl high on his list of priorities, Jovic has his next move in sight. “By 20, I want to be in the top-100 on the ATP World Tour and by 25 I want to be exactly where Djokovic is – the world number one,” Jovic said.
“I am aware that I have chosen something that is a huge task for me. But I am so much ready to put in all the hard work that will be needed to take me to the top of men’s tennis,” he promised.
Jalali has everything good to say about his student. “He’s a good listener and a hard worker and that makes my job easier. I have set goals before him and most often he just gives it his best and achieves these goals,” Jalali said.
Jovic’s success has not gone unnoticed and top companies such as Nike and Wilson have already started sponsoring the precocious teenager on a global basis. However, if the youngster wants to achieve all of his goals, he needs some more backing. “At some point it is going to be a strain on the budget and we would gladly welcome additional sponsors to step in and help,” his coach added.
