LONDON: Rory McIlroy is not putting any pressure on himself as he goes in search of the US Masters title this week.
The 28-year-old needs to get his hands on the Green Jacket to complete the career grand slam, having already won the Open, The US Open and the US PGA Championship. But rather than get obsessed by completing the quartet of Major victories, McIlroy insisted he is going to head to the famous Augusta course relaxed.
“(Putting yourself under pressure) is the worst thing to do,” McIlroy told The Guardian.
“There is already a lot of that from outside. You don’t want to compound that. The more you can freewheel it, relish it as an opportunity to do something great and enjoy it, the better.”
While it has been long assumed that McIlroy will win the Masters — his game is seen as the perfect fit for the fabled course — he is without a Major win since August 2014. But his recent win at Bay Hill ended an 18-month stretch without a title and he is heading to Augusta in a relaxed, confident mood.
“It took Phil Mickelson how many tries until he got over the line in 2004? Now he has three Green Jackets. The more you play it, the more you get comfortable, not just on the course but as soon as you get inside the gates,” he said.
“It is such a different week. It’s an event run by the members, it isn’t a normal tournament week.
“That’s why I always take a trip up prior because it makes you more comfortable, even to the point of saying hello to the staff and the chairman. There’s a lot of stuff you don’t have to do any other week because you’re not there again. At Augusta you make an effort.”
One trap he is not going to fall into is thinking that a Masters victory will definitely come his way.
“People would think it’s on my mind all the time,” he said. “Listen, I’d love the Green Jacket in the closet, to go back every year and use the champions’ locker room, to host dinner as the champion. Nobody could ever take that away from you. But I think about the Masters the week before I play it, because that’s when I prepare for it.
“No one is owed anything, due anything, it’s not my turn,” he said. “I don’t believe in that stuff. My dad always used to say to me: ‘If it’s for you, it won’t go past you,’ and I hate that line because that’s not how it works. You have to go and do it yourself. It doesn’t just magically fall into your lap. I’m not due anything, I don’t deserve anything.Everyone starts on an even playing field on Thursday morning. Whoever plays the best will win.”
With Tiger Woods finding form having registered two consecutive top-five finishes and Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson all heading to the year’s first Major in confident mood, there is much hope that this could turn out to be a tournament to remember. Indeed, the timing of Woods and McIlroy’s return to form could not have been better in terms of increasing anticipation levels for the famous tournament. One thing is certain, however, and that is whatever happens McIlroy will take it in his stride.
Rory McIlroy ready and relaxed for a Masters title tilt
Rory McIlroy ready and relaxed for a Masters title tilt
Iva Jovic hopes to channel Novak Djokovic on Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships debut
- American teen sensation looking to build on strong start to 2026 season
DUBAI: Things have been developing fast for American teenager Iva Jovic.
This time last year, she was ranked 167 in the world and had just lost in the opening round of a Challenger in Cancun.
Today, she is perched nicely at a career-high No. 20 in the world rankings, with a WTA title under her belt (in Guadalajara last year) and an Australian Open quarterfinal appearance last month.
At 18, the Californian became the youngest American woman to reach the last-eight stage at Melbourne Park since Venus Williams in 1998.
Having started 2026 with an impressive 11-3 win-loss record (semis in Auckland, final in Hobart, quarters at the Australian Open), Jovic withdrew from the WTA tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha to take some much-needed time off and is now in the UAE ready to make her debut at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
We caught up with Jovic on Saturday ahead of her Dubai opener against former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari.
What does it mean for you to be coming to these tournaments now that you probably were watching in the past coming to this part of the world?
I mean, it’s so special. Obviously, it’s one thing to kind of play your first WTA events and get the feel for it, but it’s a different one to be in the tournaments every week and have your ranking at a place where you can play the full calendar. So that was the goal for me, and it’s pretty incredible to have had it all as it is now and to just be here.
Obviously, I want to win every match I play. I hate to lose. But I also try to remember that just being here is an incredible accomplishment and privilege. But Dubai has been so fun. I went to the mall yesterday. I went to the top of the Burj Khalifa. So I’ve already got to do a couple of things.
The culture and everything is very cool here. It’s my first time in this part of the world, so it’s very cool to see all these new things. I feel like I’m learning a lot, so much more to come.
I know you had to pull out of the last couple of tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha. I’m just wondering, post-Australia, what came into that decision?
Yeah, I think I just needed a little bit more time. I think I played the most matches out of anyone in the Australian swing. It was a lot, and I’m really happy with how it went. It was a great experience, and I won a lot, right? So that’s what you want. But I also needed to rest and train a little bit to just take care of my body. And now I’m feeling good and ready to go to be here in Dubai.
With Australia, now that you’ve had a little bit of time and space since then, what was the biggest takeaways from that? And did any of it take you by surprise?
I like to think that it’s surprising but not surprising, because obviously having great results and maybe some wins weren’t expected, but I also know how hard I’ve worked, and that good things tend to come when you put in the right work. So, surprised, but also not that surprised. Again, I think it’s one thing to have a couple of those good results, but for me the most important thing is consistency. So I want to establish myself as a player who’s going deep every single week.
You’ve got Maria Sakkari in your first round. She just made the semis in Doha. How do you look ahead to that match?
That’s definitely going to be a tough one. So thank you, Alex (Eala) for giving me a tough match. She pulled my name out (during the draw), but that’s okay. I’ll forgive her. But no, that’ll be a difficult one. Maria is a fighter. I played her in doubles, first meeting in singles. I mean I’m so new on the tour, still. I haven’t played a lot of these women. But she’s a competitor. She’s been around for a while and obviously making semis last week. She’s in top form. But, you know, again, you love the battle and you want the tough matches. So hopefully I can pull through.
You got to play the world number one in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Didn’t go your way, but I’m wondering what did you take from that experience?
Yeah, I think that obviously you want to play the best just to win, yes, but even if you don’t, to just see where you stand. I think I’ve done a good job so far of learning from every loss, and I think that’s all it is. You learn from it, and it’s just fine margins. The differences aren’t that big.
It’s just little details that you need to work on that I’ve already been working on the past couple weeks, so hopefully that can show.
I know Novak Djokovic has been sending you tips. You’ve been in contact. He’s won this tournament a bunch of times. Are you going to perhaps be like, give me some tips for this Dubai court?
Oh, my God. Well, I hope … I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do that. I’m still a little nervous when I talk to him. He’s definitely my idol, but yeah, I see him at every corner. I’m like, how many times did this guy win the tournament? I see him on every screen. But just try to be like Novak. I’m going to keep it that simple.
