	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 11, 2017

Borna Coric

Madrid, Spain

B. CORIC/A. Murray

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You came to the main draw as a lucky loser. Is it a surprise to you to be one of the eight final players in the tournament?
BORNA CORIC: It is, for sure. After one match of the quallies where I lost and I was booking my flight back to home, it is surprise for sure.

But in last two matches, I've been feeling pretty good, like I was feeling good like back in Marrakesh.

I was expecting to play good, but I was not sure how it was going to end. But I was playing really good today.

Q. This was your second victory against Murray, but the first against him as No. 1 of the world. How big and how important is this match for you in terms of confidence?
BORNA CORIC: It's a huge win, for sure. It's going to mean to me a lot. Also regarding my confidence, which is very important in tennis, obviously, and especially when you are a player like me. So the confidence does play I would say a very big role in my tennis.

Also it's going to help me in my ranking. It's always easier when you're a little bit higher in the ranking. I don't know where this is going to put me exactly, but for sure I'm going to be a little bit higher. I can play now a little bit more, let's say, free. I don't need to defend many points. I can only earn points.

Q. You said you're surprised you made it into the quarters as a lucky loser. Are you surprised you beat Murray as a lucky loser, because this happened in Dubai two years ago? Is there something liberating maybe about being a lucky loser, coming into a tournament without having a lot to lose?
BORNA CORIC: Yeah, I would say like that. You don't expect much because you already lost. You're not feeling very well obviously. If you lose, that's fine. I don't know, that's how I was looking, you know, the first match.

I did find the rhythm in the end, like I said already yesterday, I was feeling much better on the court. I was playing much better. Today was the best match of the season, I would say.

So, yeah, I think as a lucky loser, it takes off some pressure I would say.

Q. When you arrived on tour, you did well pretty quickly, then it became a bit more difficult. What did you learn through this period? How did you get back on track?
BORNA CORIC: I have learned there is ups and downs in life, in every area. You cannot only go up. That's normal. I had small injury, which was unlucky, because I started playing good again. Then I got injured, so I didn't play for the last three months of the season.

But, like I said, that's the tennis. You just need to make your way up again. That's normal, I think. Everyone had these ups and downs, you know, like me.

Also, like you said, I've been doing really well as very young. Also my expectations were very high, which was maybe not very realistic. I think at the moment when I was 32, I was not really 32. My tennis was for maybe 60 or 70. That's my opinion.

But I was lucky. I was new on the tour. No one knew me. I had some luck. But, you know, that's was not my really level.

Q. How difficult was it for you to decide to have surgery when you're so young? Are you surprised how quickly you've been able to regain such good form?
BORNA CORIC: No, it was not very difficult because there was nothing else to do. I could barely walk. You don't have any other option.

If I'm surprised? Well, no. I mean, I think it did take me some time to get back on track. I mean, the first two months of the season were horrendous. I was playing terrible, you know.

Especially because it was not very long break, I didn't play for two and a half months. It was not like I didn't play for the half of a year, you know.

I think it did take me some time to get back, you know. But I think for the last two, three months I've been playing very good tennis again.

Q. I think two years ago you said Novak Djokovic was playing kind of a mentor role, giving you advice to deal with the life on tour. Is it still going on? What have you got from him?
BORNA CORIC: We are very close friends. He's been helping me a lot since I came on the tour with some kind of advices. We were practicing a lot, you know. We are still also very close friends. We speak a lot, as well, when we see each other.

Yeah, I mean.

Q. Sascha Zverev is also doing well at the moment. Does someone of a similar age breaking into the top 20 motivate you even further to try to reach that goal?
BORNA CORIC: Well, yes and no. I'm not sure, to be honest. I have my path. I have my motivation. I shouldn't look at the others too much. At the same time I can see that he's doing really well. He's going to be top player, for sure. He's already now. I think he's going to break into top 10 very, very soon.

It does show me that I need to work also extra harder. At the same time everyone has their own path and career, so I need to be focused on myself.

Q. I saw your match two years ago in Dubai when you beat Murray. Your tactics were successful then. You're getting a good reputation as a tactician. You forced a lot of errors on his backhand. Not many players can do that. He was even moon balling at the end.
BORNA CORIC: I mean, I didn't play anything special with my tactics. I was trying to be very boring. I was trying to making a very lot of balls, you know, just to stay with him and to try to get some errors from him.

Obviously he didn't play very good today. That was very obvious. I have noticed it from the beginning. That's even more when I said, I'm going to make even more balls, I'm going to make him play, just see what's going to happen.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297