SMC Women’s Tennis Profile: Mayra Jovic
Photo by Zane Meyer-Thornton.
Santa Monica College Corsairs women's tennis captain Mayra Jovic practices with her teammate Abby Mullins before the teams match against Victor Valley College from Victorville, California at Ocean View Park in Santa Monica, California on February 28, 2017. Jovic didnt play in the match because of the other team's skill level.
"I started playing when I was 5 years old."
Mayra Jovic has proven she’s a problem for anyone on the tennis court. Not only is she the current captain of the SMC women’s tennis team, she’s won state tournaments in both singles and doubles in 2015, and has been ranked as high as #2 in her home country of Argentina. With a big serve and blistering ground strokes, Mayra looks to continue her dominance with even better performances in 2017.
Q: So, how long have you been playing tennis and when did you first start competing in tournaments?
A: I started playing when I was 5 years old and my first tournament was when I was 8, so I’ve been playing tennis for 16, almost 17 years now.
Q: Wow, you started really young. Did your parents play a part in getting you involved in the sport?
A: My dad has always been my coach. So when we first came to this country he wanted me to play a sport, so he put a racquet in my hand and he’s been my coach since I was 5.
Q: Where were you born and did you play there at all?
A: I was born in Argentina, and I did. When I was 15 I moved back and I just trained on clay courts, I didn’t really go to school much. I just trained on clay courts and got to be #2 in the country. After that I ended up coming back up here to finish high school and then I found SMC.
Q: So it seems like you’ve played all over, whether it's junior tournaments, high school, and now college. Ultimately, where do you see yourself going with this?
A: Ultimately, I want to be able to coach professional athletes. It’s always been an aspiration of mine to become a professional athlete and I’m still going to try to do that. Right now my goals are to transfer to a Division 1 school, go there, and there’s tournaments I can play within that realm that can get me to qualifiers or even wildcards for big tournaments. So I want to give it a shot, see how I do, and ultimately coach and train professional athletes.
Q: Well it seems like you’re on the right track so far. You’ve been playing your whole life and probably have a ton of moments from tournaments, but do any of them stick out as the best moments for you?
A: It would have to be when I won singles and doubles in states. I was both exhausted and ecstatic at the same time. I was so happy that I had won both titles that my racquet fell out of my hand and I started crying. I put everything I had into those titles so it was a really surreal moment for me.
Q: That definitely sounds like a truly unforgettable experience. Lastly, how do you think the team will do this season?
A: I think we will do very well. We are looking really strong and we have a great group of girls this year who are all dedicated and excited to be playing.