May 28, 2023, 18:00 ET
Alexander Kovacevic (114th in the ATP ranking) will fulfill his lifelong dream: face Novak Djokovic (3rd), his greatest idol. They will play on Monday in the first round of Roland Garros.
Kovacevic carries with him a more than captivating story. He was born in the United States, more precisely in New York, but he is of Serbian origin. His parents emigrated to the American continent to escape the war.
In 2005, when he was only 6 years old, that boy fell in love with tennis. Because? Because on television they were showing a match between Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils. That match ended with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 0-6 and 7-5 in favor of Nole. From that day on, the Serb became his inspiration.
In an interview with the official ATP site, he showed all his admiration for the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles: “Djokovic is the greatest human being who has ever played tennis. Facing any member of the Big 3 is something any player would want to do in their career, no matter how slim the chances of winning. I feel privileged to face him on a stage like this, it’s a real honor.”
His story is not like that of other tennis players. At just 24 years old, he is beginning to take off definitively on the circuit. Previously, he went to the University of Illinois and studied finance. In addition, he was part of the program for the best university players in American tennis.
“I chose the university path because I felt that I was not prepared to be a professional. I matured a lot, I understood life much better and I acquired tools that allowed me to make the leap to the professional circuit. Being a professional tennis player can be horrible if you’re not mature enough, but I came in knowing what it was like to step out of my comfort zone, explore my limits and be an independent and rational person.”
His relationship with Nole took on an even greater dimension in 2021. That year he played in qualifying, although he could not pass it (lost to Marco Trungelliti in the third round). However, and to his surprise, he ran into Djokovic and invited him to train with him in Serbia.
This season he won two Challengers (Cleveland and Waco) and has a record of four wins and five losses at the ATP level.
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