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After undergoing shoulder surgery in 2021 and being forced to sit out for a year, Borna Coric has had a great 2022 season, culminating in a surprise win in Cincinnati in August, his first career Masters 1000, after defeating Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the same week. For a time, the Croatian fell to 300th place in the ATP rankings, but he fought his way back into the Top 30 and was logically rewarded by the ATP as the best comeback of the season. To prepare for 2023, the 26-year-old went to Abu Dhabi to play an exhibition last week. Beaten by Andrey Rublev and Cameron Norrie, Coric took the time to answer questions from Arab News.
“When I was #33, when I was 18 or 19, I couldn’t handle everything. I thought it was going to be a lot easier. I thought, ‘Okay, now I’m Top 30, next year I’ll be Top 15, next year I’ll be Top 5 and next year I’ll be No. 1 or Top 3.’ And I stopped working hard. I didn’t improve my tennis and I felt that these three or four years, between 2015 and 2019, I still had the same level. My tennis between the time I was 18 and 22, it’s basically the same. However, if you look at my tennis now, I feel like there is a big difference from when I was 24. Right now, my goals are to stay healthy throughout the season and reach the Top 10. However, if I finish in the Top 15 and I know I’ve given my best all season long, which is going to happen, I’ll be satisfied.”
