EXCLUSIVE: Croatian tennis ace Borna Coric chats to Sport24

Sport24 asked: How have things been going since your return from injury?

Borna Coric: After being away from tennis for one year with a right shoulder injury and big surgery, which I had in New York, there have been some ups and downs. I didn’t pick up a tennis racquet for seven months and focused on my footwork and fitness. At the beginning, the break from tennis was actually quite good because I have been playing the sport since I was five and have basically never stopped. The first two to three months were quite alright but then I started to miss tennis, the competition and basically just wanted to play. It was tough being away from the tour but I knew that I had to respect my road to recovery and the timelines that my doctors and physiotherapists gave me. I did a lot of cardio and my main goal was to stay as fit as possible, so that once I was back on the tour it would be that much easier to return to a solid level. To be honest, I don’t really think about my ranking too much. I still have some small problems with my shoulder which I need to careful with and have to do exercises every day. It’s still my main focus and it’s going to stay like that pretty much until after Wimbledon. Post-Wimbledon, I can shift more focus onto the tennis practice and trying to get my ranking back. (In 2018, Coric achieved his highest-ever ATP ranking of No.12).

Sport24 asked: How does your style of play transfer to the clay courts?

Borna Coric: I mean I don’t really change much. But obviously on the clay courts there is more spin and the footwork is different because you don’t have the hard court grip so you need to slide more. You also need to be more careful with your movement and use more drop shots on the clay than on the hard courts.