Adrenaline Junkie Kovacevic Making Challenger Tour Rise

If you can’t find Aleksandar Kovacevic on the tennis court or on a plane, perhaps you should look to the mountain slopes to find the American who is making quick progress on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“My favourite thing to do in the world is snowboard,” Kovacevic said when sharing his love for thrill-seeking activities such as jet-skiing and skydiving. “In 2022, I went and snowboarded with my buddy who lives in Lake Tahoe, California. I was there for like four days during the Australian Open because I didn’t qualify. But this year I went to Australia, so I missed out on snowboarding.

“I grew up in New York City, so I’d go to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, it’s about a 90-minute drive from where I lived. I sustained some injuries from snowboarding when I was younger because all my friends were regular people, they didn’t play sports like I did. All they wanted to do was try tricks at the terrain park and I was a little kid trying all these tricks. I wasn’t very good so I hurt myself a lot. Now, I’m a little smarter.”

The 24-year-old, who is competing at this week’s Monterrey Challenger, misses the days when he had more spare time to pack his gear and head out for a getaway, but now he’s focused on a different mountain: climbing the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Earlier this month, the former University of Illinois standout earned his maiden Challenger title in Cleveland, Ohio before rising to a career-high 122. En route to the title, the two-time ITA All-American needed a deciding set in four of his five matches and took out the top three seeds: Emilio Gomez, Steve Johnson, and Wu Yibing, whom the American defeated in a highly-contested championship match.

“To win my first Challenger there was special, it feels great,” Kovacevic said. “It’s something I wanted to check off my list before moving into ATP. Not something that I had to check off or that it was necessary to get into the Top 100 or 50, but definitely a plus. It’s something I’m happy to put behind me.”

The Cleveland Challenger wasn’t the first time Kovacevic and Wu met in a tight battle. In July, the Chinese star fended off Kovacevic’s six championship points to grab the Indianapolis Challenger title. A week after Kovacevic was crowned champion in Ohio, the 23-year-old Wu completed a dream run at the Dallas Open. Despite falling short in Indianapolis, Kovacevic kept his head high and waited for a rematch.

“It was definitely tough,” Kovacevic said. “I don’t think I necessarily choked that final. I didn’t feel as down about it as maybe I would be if I had the match on my racquet or something. But it was definitely tough, I had six match points. What I learned from that final is I have to be ready to play with that guy. When I first played him in Indianapolis, I brought a pretty good level but I was pretty impressed with him.

Aleksandar Kovacevic in action at the 2023 Cleveland Challenger. Credit: Ben Peskar

“In the first set of the Cleveland final I remember thinking, ‘This guy is the best tennis player I’ve ever seen in my life.’ Then seeing him beat Top-10 players was a little eye-opening for me because not only did I beat him recently, it was just a few days before. Me and him are good friends too and a lot of the guys that are coming up that have made some breakthroughs, I’m good friends with. Trying to be part of that crew is cool.”

Kovacevic made his Tour-level debut at last year’s ATP 250 event in Seoul, where as a lucky loser he defeated the-then World No. 32 Miomir Kecmanovic and completed a semi-final run before falling to eventual champion Yoshihito Nishioka.

The New York City native, who now lives and trains in Boca Raton, Florida, has his sights set on more ATP Tour breakthroughs. Still early in his career, Kovacevic is determined for a strong showing in 2023.

“I’d like to finish the year Top 50, that’d be nice. Obviously Top 100 is the immediate, short-term goal. Given the opportunities coming up, if I can make the Top 100, I think I can make a push to the Top 50. Ultimately, my goal is to be Top 10 one day but that’s far away as of now.”