Interview with Borna Coric - "I just want to play tennis again"
Borna Coric is back. The 25-year-old Croatian reached the final at the Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup in Montechiarugolo-Parma. Coric had to sit out for around a year due to an injury to his right shoulder and subsequent surgery in spring 2021.
by Florian Heer
last edit: Jun 19, 2022, 07:22 am
By Florian Heer from Parma
In March, the former number 12 in the ATP world rankings, who has dropped to position 255, returned to the tour. At the ATP Challenger 125 clay court tournament in Northern Italy, Coric has now reached his first final since October 2020. On Sunday afternoon, Sweden's Elias Ymer will be fighting for the first trophy since winning the tournament in Halle, Westphalia.
We caught up with the Zagreb man after his 6-1, 75 semi-final win on Saturday night over second-seeded Dusan Lajovic in Parma.
tennisnet: Congratulations on making it to the final. What made the difference today?
Borna Coric: I played very cleverly. We already played each other in Madrid a few weeks ago and I lost 6-4 in the third set. But my level has increased since then. I served better and overall it was a much better performance from me. Today's game was probably the best since my comeback.
They couldn't play a match for a year. How did you feel about thislongtime?
It was by no means easy for me. In the beginning it didn't bother me that much because I needed a break anyway and I was tired from tennis. I started playing when I was five years old. After a few months, however, I wanted to go back on tour, but my shoulder wouldn't allow it. That's why I'm very happy to be here now and to be able to play tennis with almost no pain.
They say "almost" pain free. How are you feeling physically?
I was out for a year. You can't expect to be able to work completely pain-free after just a few months. I don't have any major problems and if it does tweak from time to time, that's okay too.
They had some long and tiring matches here this week. How well have you been able to put up with it so far?
This is exactly what I needed. When I came back to the Indian Wells tournament in March, I hadn't played many matches afterwards as I suffered some first-round losses. That was also the reason why I came back to the Challenger tour. It's about regaining match practice and getting some wins.
Now you are back in a final. What does that mean for you?
After such a long time, it means a lot to me. I didn't come to Parma in the best shape and didn't know what to expect. But I fought my way through many close matches and played well. My level has increased from match to match.
You won your last title exactly four years ago at the ATP 500 tournament in Halle.
Without question, I have nothing but the best memories of the tournament. It was the biggest win of my tennis career so far. It's nice to think about, but it's been a while. Now it is time to look ahead again.
Do you already have a timetable for the coming weeks and months?
I will decide this after the final. At the moment I'm not quite sure how to proceed. It's also not about reaching certain ranking positions. I just want to keep playing tennis and eventually be completely pain free.
Thank you for the interview and all the best.