Bulldogs Jokic hopes to send new text
message after this season
By Zach Miles
After watching plenty of recruitment tapes, Georgia Bulldogs assistant women’s tennis coach
Drake Bernstein told head coach Jeff Wallace that Bosnian Katarina Jokic could definitely play
No. 1 for the Bulldogs someday.
Jokic ranked as the No. 3 women’s college tennis recruit in 2017. She was debating whether
going to college or straight to professional tennis would prove best for her.
Wallace and his staff thought that they had secured Jokic for their team.
Then Bernstein’s phone buzzed. A single text message left this in doubt.
‘Greetings. I’m playing pro. Greetings.’
Jokic finally agreed to commit to Georgia after multiple conversations.
Fast forward three years. Jokic won the 2019 NCAA Division I Player of the Year award, and
the Bulldogs finished second in the NCAA championships.
The coaching staff predicted that Jokic could play No. 1 for the team. They underestimated just
how much Jokic could help the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs currently are tied for second in the International Tennis Association rankings, and
Jokic boasts an 8-1 record as the Bulldogs remain a perfect 4-0 on the year.
Bernstein remembers Jokic, during her campus visit, asking, “What do I have to do in return for
all of this?”
“That was just an indicator of what was to come,” he said. “She’s grateful, and she gives back in
the way she represents us and our university on a national scale and throughout college tennis.”
Jokic’s accolades represent top-tier talent in college tennis, but her teammates and coaches have
seen just as much growth off the tennis court as well.
Jokic represents one out of four international players on the Bulldogs roster. The UGA coaches
said they admire the way that Jokic handled the transition from Bosnia to America smoothly.
They never saw the move affect Jokic on the court. Her growth and leadership run parallel with
her on-court success.
“Kat has definitely grown on and off the court over the past three years that I’ve known her,”
senior teammate Elena Christofi said. “She has definitely been able to be more calm on the court.
…She can handle adversity much better and that follows her off the court.”
Every coach and player within the organization knows that Jokic plays a lot calmer.
Wallace rarely witnesses Jokic’s emotions get the best of her. He has seen a level of maturity that
has helped not only elevate her own game but also elevate the team’s performance as a whole.
This rise in maturity comes from a different level of focus that Jokic carries in her third season as
a Bulldog.
“This [Athens] is home,” Jokic said. “I love and play for my teammates and my coaches.”
Her teammates not only look to Jokic for confidence and motivation, but Jokic strengthens the
team and brings them closer together.
After the Bulldogs won the NCAA indoor title last season, Jokic jumped into Christofi’s arms.
The two of them screamed as loud as they possibly could for longer than Christofi could even
remember.
It’s easy to bring the team together in moments of victory. Jokic also builds solidarity through
her countless Four Fat Cows banana pudding ice cream dates with Christofi and by giving advice
to freshman teammate Anna Hertel, from Poland, in their dorm while eating gobs of granola.
Living with Jokic “honestly feels like home,” Hertel said. She added that she continuously tries
to be like her.
With individual awards set aside, Wallace knows Jokic is focused on the team goal.
“It’d be great to see her win the Player of the Year Award or Honda Award (tennis’ version of
the Heisman Trophy),” Wallace said. “But first and foremost, we want to see her lead this team
to more championships.”
Jokic’s main goal for this season is to win the NCAA team title. Perhaps then she could send
Bernsetin a text message that goes something like this:
‘Greetings. We did it. Thanks for helping us win it all. Greetings.’
