Inspiring story of the day: 'My parents came here with nothing, and they worked really hard to build a life' - How Iva Jovic turned immigrant grit and family sacrifice into tennis greatness

Iva Jovic 's rapid rise in tennis has brought more attention to the family story behind her success. The 18-year-old American has reached the fourth round of the 2026 US Open and is now set to face fellow American Coco Gauff . But Jovic's journey started long before Grand Slam crowds and big wins. Born in Torrance, California, she grew up watching her parents, Bojan and Jelena Jovic , rebuild their lives after moving to the United States from Serbia and Croatia. Both were pharmacists, but they had to repeat their professional exams and work hard to build careers in a new country.Iva Jovic's parents did not arrive in the United States with established careers waiting for them. Bojan Jovic is from Leskovac, Serbia, while Jelena Jovic is from Split, Croatia. Jelena received a U.S. green card through the lottery, changing the direction of the couple's lives. They married and moved to America in the early 2000s.Their pharmacy qualifications from Europe were not enough to let them immediately work as pharmacists in the U.S. They had to take the required exams again while working to support themselves. Reports on the family say they worked as supermarket cashiers during that period before eventually becoming licensed pharmacists.Jovic has spoken about how much that early struggle shaped the way she sees life. In a Cincinnati Open interview, she explained:'My mom got a green card on the lottery, so super random… They got married, came here, and they had to start from scratch. They didn't have anything really. They are pharmacists, so they had to do all their tests again and just work really hard to try and build a life. Coming from such a small country like that to the U.S. is not easy.'That experience also gave Jovic a clear idea that success would not simply come to her. She grew up seeing her parents work for the life they wanted, and that became part of how she approached tennis.Jovic was introduced to tennis at five, following her older sister Mia Jovic into the sport. Their relationship on the court was not always calm. The sisters regularly played practice sets against each other, and the younger Jovic has admitted that she hated losing.Those early matches became some of her strongest memories from childhood. Mia later continued playing tennis at UCLA, while Iva moved toward the professional game. Their battles also helped shape the competitive side that is now easy to see when Iva plays.Jovic once described those days honestly:'Me and my sister, just absolutely going at it in practice sets. We were fighting so much. I was a little bit of a menace because I just couldn't stand losing… But any fire is good. Now I channel it into more positive directions… For my parents, it was also really important that I spoke Serbian. I'm super grateful for that because communication with my family wouldn't be the same in English.'Her parents also made sure that growing up in California did not mean losing touch with the family's roots. Serbian was spoken at home so Iva and Mia could communicate with relatives in the Balkans. The family has also maintained ties with Serbia, giving the sisters a connection to their parents' home region.For Jovic, the lessons from home became especially important as tennis became more serious. Junior tennis meant coaching, travel, tournaments and other expenses, while her parents were still managing their own careers.A 2024 profile by The Tennis Recruiting Network reported that Bojan and Jelena were working 12-hour shifts while supporting both daughters and their tennis ambitions. That meant the family had to balance long workdays with the demands of competitive tennis.Jovic has never treated that support as something she was simply entitled to receive. Instead, she connects her parents' effort with the way she competes. When matches become difficult, she thinks about the work that made her opportunities possible.She put that connection into simple words:'Seeing how hard my parents worked gave me that mentality. When you see what they went through to build a life here and give us opportunities, you don't take any point or any match for granted. You just fight for every single ball.'That attitude has become a clear part of Jovic's game. She has developed a reputation for staying composed during difficult moments, while still playing with the aggressive style that helped her rise quickly through the junior and professional ranks.Jovic's family story is now playing out alongside some major results on the tennis court. She first made her Grand Slam breakthrough at the 2024 US Open, where she became the youngest American woman to win a main-draw match at the tournament since 2000.Her junior career had already shown that she could handle major stages. She won junior doubles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon with Tyra Caterina Grant in 2024 before turning her attention fully toward the professional circuit.The progress continued in 2026. Jovic reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, then made the third round at Roland Garros and the fourth round at Wimbledon. At the 2026 US Open, she went one step further than her previous New York results by reaching the fourth round for the first time.Her latest win was especially demanding. Jovic defeated close friend Alexandra Eala 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in a three-hour third-round battle. She was down 4-2 in the final set and faced 20 break points, but held her nerve to finish the match. The victory made her the youngest American woman since Venus Williams in 1998 to reach three Grand Slam fourth rounds in the same calendar year.Now Jovic faces Coco Gauff, another American star who has already won Grand Slam titles. But regardless of what happens next, the story behind Jovic's rise remains bigger than one match. Her parents started again in a new country, built their careers from the beginning and made sure their daughters had opportunities they did not have themselves.For Jovic, that history is still part of every match. Her tennis career may now be taking her to the biggest courts in the world, but the values behind it were formed much earlier, at home, through family, hard work and the belief that nothing worthwhile comes without effort.