What's the Best Advice Novak Has Given Iva Jovic? | Q&Andy

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Served with Andy Roddick

Episode: What’s the Best Advice Novak Has Given Iva Jovic? | Q&Andy
Date: April 23, 2026
Host: Andy Roddick (B)
Co-host/Producer: Mike (C)
Guest: Iva Jovic (D)
Special Mentions: Jon Wertheim, Eva Jovic

Main Theme & Purpose

This week’s Q&Andy episode features a lively and insightful Q&A with rising tennis star Iva Jovic, following her recent guest appearance. The show dives into junior development, handling pressure, dreams of Grand Slam glory, and practical pro tips—sprinkled with humor and warmth from Andy Roddick and crew. The centerpiece: Iva’s reflections on key wisdom from Novak Djokovic and her evolution as both athlete and competitor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breaking Into the Pro Scene as a Junior

(01:22–02:13)

• Iva’s Advice: Focus on long-term development over short-term results and be open to improving weaknesses, even at the expense of wins.
  • Quote (Iva):

    “Please, please don’t be stubborn and work on the things that you know you need to work on and take some L’s if you need to... I was very stubborn with wanting to win.” (01:42)

• Hosts’ Banter: Andy jokes about Iva rarely losing, underscoring her talent.
  • Quote (Andy):

    “Yeah, it’s like, 'Oh, I lost last month.'” (02:16)

2. Signature Shots: If You Could Steal One

(02:21–03:25)

• Dream Shots: Iva picks John Isner’s serve but fondly mentions Federer’s backhand volley for its highlight-reel appeal.
  • Quote (Andy, on Isner’s serve):

    “If you give Eva Jovic John Isner's serve, she never loses again... She’s completed tennis.” (02:35)

  • Quote (Iva):

    “I think I’m going to have to take a serve...but the Federer over-your-shoulder backhand volley is kind of incredible.” (02:47)

3. Handling Mental Pressure

(03:31–04:50)

• Perspective: Pressure means you’re doing something right. Use it as motivation and practice breathing techniques.
  • Quote (Iva):

    “Pressure...means that you’ve done something to deserve that expectation. So you can kind of use that to give you confidence.” (03:36)

  • Quote (Andy):

    “Nerves always exist... You just manage it better.” (04:23)

  • Practical tip: Acknowledge nerves—don’t suppress them—so you can manage them.

4. Best Advice From Novak Djokovic

(04:53–05:32)

• Technical Wisdom: Novak’s focus was on tactical patterns and court geometry—making her game more unpredictable and effective.
  • Quote (Iva):

    “He’s given me...how to open the court better. Finding the angles...Finishing shorter or bringing them out and in...makes the depth even more penetrating and surprising.” (04:53)

  • *Hosts respond with admiration (“cheat code”).

5. Dream Tournament to Win

(05:40–06:38)

• Iva’s Picks: Torn between Wimbledon and US Open as her dream Slam but would love any major.
  • Quote (Iva):

    “I am honestly torn between Wimbledon and US Open…” (05:40)

  • Quote (Andy):

    “Listen, I don’t know. I can’t speak for you. I would have taken any slam... each one is special.” (06:01)

6. Favorite Female Player to Watch

(08:09–08:58)

• Iga Swiatek: Praises her clay-court dominance, movement, and variety.
  • Quote (Iva):

    “I love watching Iga, especially on the clay...the way she’s able to open up the court and play with different spins and shapes to push her opponents back.” (08:17)

7. Falling in Love With Tennis

(08:58–11:09)

• Grassroots Passion: Iva liked being outside and competition more than instantly loving tennis. The sport “chooses you” as you grow into it.
  • Quote (Iva):

    “I don’t think that...you have to eat, sleep, dream, breathe tennis when you’re four...I love to compete, I hate to lose, and I started competing in tennis and got obsessed with the process.” (09:06)

• Andy’s Take: Kids and adults alike gravitate to what they’re good at.

8. Random Question (from Becca, Age 8): If Tennis Balls Could Talk…

(11:42–12:34)

• Funny Imagining: Iva and Andy agree tennis balls would express pain; Iva imagines them roasting players for missed shots.
  • Quote (Andy):

    “Ouch. Ouch.” (12:09)

  • Quote (Iva):

    “How do you manage to hit me in the net every freaking time? I feel like they would be roasting us.” (12:15)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Andy (on nerves):

  “You can’t deal with the problem if you can’t talk about it.” (04:39)

• Iva (on Grand Slams):

  “I’ll take whichever one I can get.” (06:34)

• Andy (on competition):

  “Sport chooses you, I think at some point along the way.” (09:51)

• Q&A Closure: Andy warmly praises Iva and gives a shout out to young listener Becca for her “great questions.” (11:09, 12:34)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Advice to juniors: 01:22–02:13
• Signature shot wish: 02:21–03:25
• Mental pressure tips: 03:31–04:50
• Novak’s best advice: 04:53–05:32
• Dream Slam: 05:40–06:38
• Favorite female player: 08:09–08:58
• Love for tennis: 08:58–11:09
• Talking tennis balls: 11:42–12:34

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Tone & Atmosphere

Friendly, humorous, and supportive—the episode showcases Andy’s laid-back candor, Iva’s insight and humility, and a warm rapport with listeners, making it both informative and entertaining for tennis fans and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Hey everyone.

[C]

Welcome to this week's Q and Andy. Guess what?

[B]

You don't have to put up with me answering questions. Someone better to do it. I hope you were able to tune into Tuesday's show. We had Eva Jovic on and I talked about at the end of the show how impressed I am with her game, maybe even more so with her as a person. But you all had the ability to send some questions in. So, Mike, let's do it. We have Eva here with us again. Let's get to the questions. What do they send in?

[C]

Eva, we appreciate the time. And as a reminder, guys, if you want to send in your sh. Your questions of the show, send it to ask andyrfp podcast.com or hit us up in the DMS on socials or here in the comments. We appreciate it. First question we got is from Maranada on Instagram. She said, what is your advice for juniors trying to break onto the pro scene?

[D]

I would definitely say that. I know every result in every tournament seems so serious and so the make or break moment, but it definitely isn't. And please, please don't be stubborn and work on the things that you know you need to work on and take some L's if you need to. That's something I could have done better, definitely. I was very stubborn with wanting to win. So do the things that are going to make you better and then the winning will come with it.

[C]

I mean, you probably didn't lose a whole lot though, I imagine.

[B]

Yeah, it's like, oh, I lost last month.

[C]

Next is Joseph wrote us on Instagram. If you could steal one signature shot from any player in tennis history, man or woman, what would it be and why?

[D]

Oh my gosh, that is such a good question.

[B]

While she's thinking about it, if you give Eva Jovich John isn't her serve, she never loses again in the rest of her. The rest of her the rest of her life. It's over 10. She's completed tennis. She's completed tennis. She's completed tennis.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah. I think. I think I'm going to have to take a serve. I think. I think I'll go with that response. I was thinking about this is more just to have it for the highlight reel, but the fetter over your shoulder, backhand volley is kind of incredible. Lame. We could all do that. But I think the.

[C]

You want to beat Andy Roddick, you can have it.

[B]

Jesus. Enough. Easy. I don't want strays from you. Get out of here.

[C]

All right, so I like the federate. John is reserved. That's the one.

[B]

It's always the one. It's always like, it's the one.

[D]

Me a ton of matches.

[B]

Yeah. Like, have you seen Isner from the baseline? He was 10, nine in the world with that thing like you give me. Yeah, that's the one.

[C]

Stefanos wrote us. How do you deal with mental pressure?

[D]

Great, great question. I think it's all about the perspective you put on it. So I think pressure is obviously difficult, but it means that you've done something to deserve that expectation. So. So you can. You can kind of use that to give you confidence. And I think breathing always is. Is helpful. I do certain, like, breathing techniques before matches to try to. To calm the nervous system down if you're feeling nervous and the pressure. But I think you just have to know that it's. It's normal. And it should give you confidence that people. That people expect things of you, because that means you've done some pretty good things, too.

[B]

I'll just say on that one, like, nerves always exist. Like, people always say, like, how do you not get nervous? I'm like, well, you don't. You just manage it better.

[C]

Right?

[B]

Like, little techniques, like she said, they don't go away. You know, lots of people got everyone. Everyone has ever played tennis balls.

[C]

It's okay to have nerves.

[B]

And you can acknowledge it, too. I have a lot of. I have a lot of parents, like, A lot of parents, like, well, you can't. Don't say you're nervous. I'm like, you can't deal with the problem if you can't talk about it. Anyways, go ahead.

[C]

Next up, Emily asked, what is the best advice Novak has given you?

[D]

Hmm, that's really good. I would say the best advice he's given me is about ground stroke patterns and how to. How to open the court better. Finding the. The angles. I play good with my depth, but sometimes Finishing shorter in the court or bringing them out and in almost will then make the depth even more penetrating and surprising to them. So that's, that's very specific. But that is something he told me that I think is really useful for me.

[B]

Cosine.

[C]

Yeah. Cheat code. I said it earlier. Sarah wrote us on Instagram. She said, what is your dream tournament to win?

[D]

Oh, my gosh. Obviously from a, from a grand. A Grand Slam would be the dream tournament, right? I am honestly torn between Wimbledon and US Open. Andy, maybe you have some, some thoughts about that. Even I don't.

[B]

I've only, I've only won one of them.

[D]

Well, you've been in the final.

[B]

The other ones are just tears on a pillow. I don't know. I think those are, I think those are great. Listen, I don't know. I can't speak for you. I would have taken any slam. Like there's, you don't, you don't really, you don't really complain about much, but there's something special about each one. But you'll get there. Good news is you don't have to choose. You'll, you know, the opportunity will present itself and you won't really care much. That is not the other one.

[D]

That's true. I'll take whichever one I can get correct.

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[E]

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[B]

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[G]

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[B]

That's the answer.

[C]

Sarah had a second question. She said, who is your favorite female

[D]

player to watch current past any anytime

[C]

your your choice, Feeler's choice.

[D]

My answer. I personally, I love watching iga. I love watching iga, especially on the clay. Because I mean some of those runs she's had, especially at the French Open, have been ridiculous. I mean not losing games, but the way that she's able to open up the court and play with different spins and shapes to push her opponents back the way she moves. I think it's very dynamic her game and I think when she's playing her best, it's, it's fun to watch. There's, there's a lot of, of things to see.

[C]

And then next up we have a two parter to end this from eight year old Becca. Her first question was did you like tennis right away or did it take a while to fall in love with it?

[D]

That's a great question. I, I don't know if it was tennis related. I love being outside. I don't think that there was. I think everyone thinks that you have to have this aha moment and you have to eat, sleep, dream, breathe tennis when you're four years old in order to be a professional. I don't think that that's necessarily necessary and I don't think that happened to me. I love to compete, I hate to lose. And I started competing in tennis and I kind of just got obsessed with the, with the process getting better again, the competition. I, I can't, I wouldn't trade competition for anything else. And out of all the sports I played, I was the best at tennis. Right. So I wanted to do that.

[B]

Sport chooses you, I think at some point along the way.

[D]

Right.

[C]

I'm interested in your response on this too.

[B]

Well, my response was you said Becca, who's 8. And then I instantly went to like, maybe we should not cuss on our podcast. That's what I was, that's what I, that's what I thought immediately when you asked that question. So Becca, I promise you I'm gonna get better. I'm gonna get better. No, but my wife and I were actually talking about. Cause our daughter, she likes softball and whatever. But I go, I don't know. Kids probably aren't that different than adults. We like to do stuff that we feel like we're good at. I don't know. That was my experience anyways. Did I like tennis more than baseball? I don't know. Probably not. But then eventually you're good at it and so you like it. I don't know. Is that kind of your process? Is it that simple or is it more nuanced than that?

[D]

I think it's pretty simple. And also, you don't even have, I think, direct comparisons. I mean, for me personally, I played soccer growing up. I think I had more fun on the soccer field at that time than I did in tennis. But you can't really compare when you played ayso soccer twice a week. Right. Just for fun versus training tennis every day. So I. I really think the sport chooses you, and if you love to compete, you're going to do what you're good at. So whatever you're good at.

[B]

I know two things. I know two things for sure. You ready, Mike? I know two things for sure. Eva Jovic is very cool and totally into it. You're awesome. Keep it going. And this Q and A is dedicated to Becca. Great question. Becca.

[C]

Wait, we got one more from Becca.

[D]

Let's go.

[C]

We have one more.

[B]

We do.

[C]

It's a two parter.

[B]

Because I thought you just said it was a two parter.

[C]

It is. We got one more question.

[B]

Get your life together.

[C]

We have one more question for Becca.

[B]

Let's do it.

[C]

Yeah. And it's a part of our new segment. We've been trying to wrap every Q and Andy with a random question of the day. Sean, cue the music.

[B]

This is so dumb.

[G]

Time for the random question of the day.

[E]

So stupid.

[B]

You see me try to rap before you got to it.

[D]

I know he was trying to get away with amazing.

[C]

And this is from Becca. And this is truly from an 8 year old. If tennis balls could talk, what do you think they would say?

[B]

Ouch. Ouch.

[C]

She wants me to answer that.

[D]

Oh, my God. Ouch is a great one. I feel like they would be mocking us. Like how this court is so flipping big. How do you manage to hit me in the net every freaking time? I feel like they would be roasting us. No,

[B]

Becca, great questions.

[C]

Great question.

[B]

You think Becca's happier to have her questions answered by Eva Jovic? Or do you think you're happier to play that stupid jingle at the end of every episode?

[C]

I think it's a tie. I think it's. We're equal. Equal. Yeah.

[B]

Eva. Yeah. Great sport. Thanks for coming on Q and Andy, we will see you next week.