Kovacevic: Why I endured short-term pain for long-term gain

Aleksandar Kovacevic was inches away from cracking the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last April.

His phone was lighting up with messages, people eager to congratulate the American for being No. 98 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, thinking a Top 100 debut was locked. But three players jumped ahead of the 25-year-old throughout the Miami Open, kicking Kovacevic to No. 101. He would have to wait to see double digits next to his name.

This month, as an Australian Open qualifier, Kovacevic’s hard work paid off. He survived a five-setter against Alejandro Tabilo in the opening round, securing his first major main-draw victory and a career-high ranking No. 85 in Monday’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“It's been an ongoing joke with me, my coach and my buddy J.J. [Wolf]. He keeps saying to my coach, ‘How does it feel to be a Top 101 coach in the world?’” Kovacevic told ATPTour.com. “A lot of people sent me congratulations on breaking the Top 100 when I was 98 in the Live Rankings, it's kind of real but not really real. On the official ATP website, it doesn't list it so I was quick to say, 'Hey guys, it's not official.' I'm glad that this time it is.

“At some point I really did believe I would get there sooner rather than later and for that reason, I wasn't really caring when it happened.”

After approaching the Top 100 last April, Kovacevic had a decision to make with his team. He could play the hard-court ATP Challenger swing in South Korea, where he had previous success, making the ATP 250 semi-finals in Seoul the year prior or buy into a long-term vision of progressing his game on red clay, a surface he was unfamiliar with.

“My coaches advised me, ‘Do you want to be a Top 50, mainstay player on the Tour? Or just be a career-long 90 in the world type of player that is just chasing points here and there,'” Kovacevic said. “To be at the top level of tennis, you need to be able to play on all surfaces.”

Kovacevic entered the red-clay season and suffered an eight-match skid, including three losses on grass. In his first major tournament, Roland Garros, Kovacevic opened against his idol and eventual champion Novak Djokovic, whom the American met at the 2005 US Open after watching him courtside in the first round.

This time, Djokovic was standing across the net. It was Kovacevic’s lone meeting versus a Top 10 player and his first time on the Parisian clay. Kovacevic was learning the hard way.

“I went to that European swing knowing that I could be losing every match and I might drop a decent amount of ranking spots because I don’t win a match for a while,” Kovacevic said. “That’s exactly what happened. For three months, I didn’t win a match.”

Despite the eight-match skid, the New York native still enjoyed a career-best season, tallying a 32-12 Challenger-match record. Kovacevic was one of five players to win four or more Challenger titles in 2023, alongside Mariano Navone, Facundo Diaz Acosta, Thiago Seyboth Wild and Tabilo. Kovacevic was once again within striking distance of the Top 100 to start 2024.

“The year before I remember talking to my coaches saying, ‘Winning a tournament seems so, so hard. Five matches in a row against these really good players. How do you even do it?’” Kovacevic said. “I was super happy to win my first one and if you would've told me at the beginning of the year that I would win four Challengers, I would've said you're crazy.

“To win a tournament, there's no special sauce. It's just taking it one match at a time and doing your best on that day. Some matches, it's not going to be pretty, you're going to scrape through. It was a lopsided year; I won two Challengers quickly, didn't earn any points for three months and then finished the year great as well.

“You can be confident, lose one bad match and you're back down to earth pretty fast. This sport humbles you pretty fast but it can also change your life pretty fast.”

A two-time ITA All-American at the University of Illinois, Kovacevic turned pro in 2021 after earning his Bachelor’s degree in finance. Now, 'Kova' is soaking in every moment as a professional. 

“It's definitely been a learning curve, but it's also been a huge blessing,” Kovacevic said. “I didn't expect to be where I am this quick. I always believed I could. I'm super grateful for this journey and I hope to keep it going.”