Train like Iva Jovic: the workout behind her tennis success

Iva Jovic: I started playing tennis accidentally. There were tennis courts in the apartment complex I grew up in and they became an easy way for my parents to keep me and my sister active. The courts had four walls so we were contained, and we’d entertain ourselves with everything from Barbie dolls to soccer balls - all on the court. Eventually, we started playing tennis.

During the pandemic, I started taking tennis more seriously because it was the sport that was most easily accessible. I fell in love with the competition – it made me feel alive and I wanted to continue getting better.

It’s all about the daily work. I think a lot of people think there are secrets - and you can take shortcuts - but it’s literally about putting in the work and being disciplined every single day. It’s very difficult and something I think most people aren’t able to do, but you don’t have to be special or gifted. You just have to be willing to put in the work every single day.

Coordination is one of the most important elements in tennis. There’s timing, movement and strategy, so building up my muscles in the gym and keeping my ligaments well oiled and strong helps me withstand the load and protects my joints and body from injuries.

One of my favourite workouts for movement and coordination is plyometrics. Any jumping, bounding, box jumps, ladder drills - they’re all so important in making yourself more reactive and well-coordinated. I also love reaction drills with tennis balls or BlazePods.

It’s super important to be working on your hamstrings, your calves and the backside of your body. I love squats, hip hinges, and RDLs [Romanian Deadlifts]. Single-leg exercises are also really good for improving coordination on open-stance positions.

Body strength in tennis is the most important thing because ultimately all movement and all power starts from the ground up - from your feet to your quads and hamstrings. I also do core work every single day - lots of planks and breathing exercises - such as dead bugs, bird dogs and toe taps.

We can do intervals with super hard conditioning circuits and then go out on the court and hit tennis balls while we’re in that incredibly fatigued state. Putting yourself in that position in practice is what’s going to prepare you for the match.

It's a very individualised sport and you don’t know how long you’re going to be out there on the court. Breathing exercises and meditations are helpful, as is conserving your energy. You need to make sure during a tournament there are as few energy absorbers around you as possible - whether that’s certain activities or people. You need to protect your peace so you can have all your energy stored for the match.

It’s one of the most difficult things because as athletes, we’re perfectionists, and we always want to go, go, go. Sometimes it’s almost counter productive to keep going and when you’re exhausted and your mind needs a break. Making sure you have a day in the week you can take off and not think about the court is essential.

Having good people around you is important and also just knowing your purpose. I’m not going to the gym just to go to the gym, I’m going so that I become better and work toward a goal I want to achieve. It’s not easy to show up every day and be consistent, so you have to “pick your hard” a little bit. To be able to train and play the sport I love, no matter how challenging it is, there’s nothing I would rather do.