Coaches Corner: How do you play successfully against Borna Coric?
Professional tennis coaches see more - which is why we simply ask how to play against the big players in the industry. In part 8 of our series, Tobias Summerer , Florian Mayer's longtime coach, analyzes Borna Coric's game .
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
May 07, 2020, 04:34 pm
In autumn 2018, Tobias Summerer and his protégé Florian Mayer contested his last match on the ATP tour at the New York Open. Mayer lost in a heat battle in four sets against Borna Coric. And Summerer analyzes exactly that Coric, who was also on the tour as a coach of Philipp Kohlschreiber and is currently looking after the youngsters at the TennisBase Zentral in Oberhaching in the service of the Bavarian Tennis Association.
These are the particular strengths of Borna Coric
Coric has been around for a while, but is actually only 23 years old. Is now just over 30, but was already number twelve. He is a great competitor, plays with incredible intensity, but at the same time calm.
He has an incredibly good footwork, is basically very athletic.
There is also a very good first serve, which is also not easy to read. With the second service it is very variable, mixes immensely. In addition there is an incredibly good backhand - no matter whether on the return or from the rally. It is incredibly solid and tough. You get the feeling when he's playing a backhand cross rally: Coric doesn't hit a lot of balls. And if the opponent then plays a little shorter, Borna can take this one step into the field, then it is very difficult to get out of the defensive again. The backhand longline is also very good.
He takes the return with the backhand very early - and can actually put it anywhere.
How can you successfully play against Borna Coric?
I would mix a lot on serve: forehand, body. It must not go backhand too monotonously because he cannot swing freely there. I remember a training session from the French Open 2019 where Philipp Kohlschreiber trained with him. We both said how uncomfortable a lot of pressure Coric can do with the backhand return.
He improved his game forward, but Coric certainly has his weaknesses. He is now also not an outstanding touch player from whom something surprising comes.
If possible, Coric should be completed because he feels more comfortable on the baseline than on the net.
You have to try to get the forehand. You can still build up the points with your backhand.
Flo destroyed Coric's game well in his last match on the US Open tour. He went forward, played hard in the forehand, quickly countered the forehand cross.
On hard court, I would definitely not want to play against him, the best way to get him on the lawn is because Coric cannot get into the way of playing a lot of backhand cross balls or opening with the backhand longline. The points run a little differently on grass. But: He has already won the tournament on grass in Halle.
A few facts about Borna Coric
Selected head-to-heads
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