Crikey Mate, Tennis Action Blooming Bright for GGC Duo

The Georgia Gwinnett College women’s tennis season may not start for another week, but players Cassidy Mataia and Teodora Jovic are proud that their home country is presently in the center of the tennis world as 128 of the world’s best professional players are competing in the Australian Open.

The tournament at Melbourne Park is the first grand slam event of the highly competitive 2023 professional tennis season.

The sophomore from Brisbane is preparing for her second season on GGC’s top-ranked NAIA program after capturing the doubles national championship at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup in October. She earned ITA All-American honors as a doubles player in 2022. 

Meanwhile, Jovic is on the eve of her initial court action as a Grizzly after transferring from Union College (Kentucky), where the Gorokan native was a two-time NAIA All-American.

Both players are familiar with the grounds at Melbourne Park as they had past success in Australia’s national junior championship tournaments – Jovic competing in 12-, 14- and 16-under youth tournaments while Mataia advanced to the doubles final this past December.

“It’s great for people overseas to come visit the country and experience what Australia is like and likewise for us to see different people and different cultures,” states Mataia. “It is great having a grand slam in my home country … Melbourne has a very relaxed feel to the city and it is cool to open the activity in the city and the facility.”

The Australian Open is played in the middle of the summer for the country down under in the globe’s southern hemisphere. One of the storylines annually is the extreme heat that players must endure while playing in the season-opening tournament. 

“It’s important for players to get acclimated to the condition and heat. You will see players with ice towels during change overs or be in the shade between points. Sometimes upsets happen in Australia based off which player is more comfortable with the conditions,” says Jovic. “A few years ago they actually fried an egg on one of the courts. A few years ago, while I was playing at the juniors (tournament), they introduced heat rules for the first time. Now, if Australian Open matches are being played when the temperature reaches 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), the matches are stopped.”

Both GGC players have their personal favorites in this year’s tournament but agree that world No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek and multiple grand slam champion Novak Djokovic should come away as Australian Open champions when the tournament concludes on January 28-29.

“In my youth, I trained with (fellow Australian native) Olivia Gadecki when I was younger. She won her first-round match (Sunday, January 15). I will be following her matches on the women’s side, while keeping up to date with (No. 22-ranked Aussie) Alex de Minaur in men’s singles,” remarks Mataia.

Jovic states, “Ajla Tomljanovic (from Australia) has a big powerful game and it will be interesting to see her use the crowd to support her throughout the tournament. Alex (de Minaur) is a massive fighter and will fight until the last ball … I will be watching matches on my laptop (here). There’s plenty of (media) coverage for all the Aussies, especially if they win a few matches and start to make a run (at the title).”

Meanwhile, both GGC players are preparing to open their own seasons when the dual match season is scheduled to commence January 26 against NCAA Division II Lander University (South Carolina) at the Grizzly Tennis Complex. Mataia and Jovic are looking forward to helping the Grizzlies chase NAIA team titles at indoor championships (February 2-5 in Overland Park, Kansas) and outdoor championships (May 16-20 in Mobile, Alabama).