If you鈥檝e ever been around the Yellowknife Tennis Club, you will know who Tamara Jovic is. You鈥檒l see her playing tournaments, giving lessons or working with the junior players.

But what you maybe didn鈥檛 know is that the 20-year-old has what no one else in the NWT has: a certified professional licence to coach.

Jovic is the proud owner of what鈥檚 called a Club Pro 1 licence through the Tennis Professionals Association. That means she can now go anywhere in the country and get paid a salary to teach the sport. Some of that work could include delivering private and group lessons, design basic lesson content and run introductory programs, such as socials, round-robins, and tournaments. Jovic was able to apply for the course by virtue of having her Instructors鈥� certification with at least 150 hours of on-court teaching experience.

Needless to say, Jovic said she was excited once she received the news that she passed.

鈥淕etting my club pro licence is a big deal because there aren鈥檛 many who have it that are as young as I am,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 needed it to coach at the Canada Summer Games, so that was one of the big reasons I wanted to get it.鈥�

Jovic was the assistant coach with Jan Martinek, the Yellowknife Tennis Club鈥檚 head professional, at the Games in Ontario last month. She now has the very same certification as Martinek and she gave him lots of credit for helping get her over the bump.

鈥淚 worked two summers in a row with Jan and if I didn鈥檛 coach as much as I did with him, I don鈥檛 think I would have done as well as I did,鈥� she said.

The club pro certification allows someone to become an entry-level assistant pro at a year-round indoor club or a head pro at a seasonal or community club. The course took nine days in total to complete; Jovic had to travel to both Calgary and Edmonton for three separate three-day sessions between April and May in order to do it.

鈥淲e had two Zoom module days, where we discussed what we would be doing on the court,鈥� said Jovic. 鈥淎fter that, it was seven days on-court and two of those days were evaluation days. No nerves at all (laughs).鈥�

John St. Louis, Tennis NWT鈥檚 president, said there have been some really good young players who have gone through the system, but Jovic seems to keep reaching higher.

鈥淪he鈥檚 won a lot of tournaments and she鈥檚 grown up in the Yellowknife tennis system,鈥� he said. 鈥淕etting professional certification is an amazing accomplishment for her because of the amount of time needed for the testing on and off the court. We鈥檙e just thrilled that she has that now and she鈥檒l be a great addition to any club that hires her on.鈥�

What this does now, he added, is show young players in the NWT that they, too, can reach the same heights that Jovic has.

鈥淪he鈥檚 worked very closely with the young kids in the territory and she鈥檚 been a terrific mentor who sets a great example,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 their inspiration now.鈥�

Jovic has returned for her third year at the University of Calgary and she plans on playing with the women鈥檚 tennis team again this season.

She said her new certification has given her more confidence for the new year.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned so much from our coaches and from doing the pro course,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 increased my playing ability and I鈥檓 really excited about the new season.鈥�