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MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAÃº

March 26, 2019

Borna Coric

Miami, Florida

B. CORIC/N. Kyrgios

4-6, 6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've had a pretty slow start to the year so far, but this seems to be a pretty good win, a nice way to turn it around. Is that how you feel about it?
BORNA CORIC: I cannot really agree that I had such a slow start. I have made the fourth round of the Australian Open with pretty much normal season, so that was great. I was really happy with that.

Then I played one bad match. So it's okay. In Dubai I made semis. Indian Wells was tough. And now here I'm actually playing good. So I'm actually pretty happy with the year.

But still, you know, like you said, it hasn't been, you know, great. This is definitely helping me, you know, now to get some more confidence for my next matches, for the next tournament, for the clay court where I think I'm playing the best tennis, to be honest.

Q. You seemed to turn it around after you threw your racquet and got angry at yourself. That seemed to be the turning point for you mentally. After that you seemed to be a different player. Is that accurate?
BORNA CORIC: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. That was the moment where I was really close of actually losing the match, because I was losing my composure. I was not playing well. I was not serving well. I just kind of didn't know what to do anymore.

It got me back on my feet. I let go all of my frustrations, and I started to play better again. I started to serve better. I started to think, you know, more clear. So that was one of the turning points, definitely, yeah.

Q. You have a player in the next round you haven't played before, Felix. You have experience over him. Talk about playing Felix.
BORNA CORIC: I saw, you know, he's making great results in the last six months. I haven't watched many of his matches, to be honest. I have watched maybe one or two while I was warming up or something. I need to do my homework tonight.

But, you know, like I said, he's been playing great for the last six months. Obviously, you know, he has huge confidence right now, and it's gonna be very interesting match.

Q. Do you think the interaction between Nick and the crowd affected your game today?
BORNA CORIC: No, absolutely not. You know, I'm just trying to focus on myself and, you know, I don't really care what anyone else does, Nick or someone else. I'm always trying to look at myself and to focus on myself. Yeah, it didn't affect me at any point.

Q. Along the same lines, though, he does seem to take all the attention upon himself. In a sense, it seems like a little disrespectful to his opponent. Yet the guys don't seem to make a big deal out of it. You and he fist-bumped on the way out. You guys are totally cool with the guy taking up so much of the attention and energy in a match?
BORNA CORIC: Well, look, I mean, definitely he's getting the attention, but that's normal, because he's making the shots which are unbelievable. His style of the tennis, he's like that. That's actually fair enough for me.

You know, if I could play like that, with that kind of shots, if I can serve like that, you know, and be so relaxed, maybe I would get the same attention, you know.

I don't have any problems with that. You know, also, regarding what you said, that it might be disrespectful or something, I agree with that in some points, but also, you know, I'm not focusing about -- I don't care about, you know, what he does in the previous matches or in the next matches, you know. We have been playing for the last -- we played four matches, and I didn't have any problems with him.

He's very nice guy. Also off the court, he always says hi. I don't have any problem with it, honestly. Some players do. I understand that. It can be very frustrating, I agree. But like I said, for me, in our four matches or five matches, I didn't have that.

Q. What were you thinking when he hit that no-look, between-the-legs crosscourt and the ball whizzed past you? Did you have any idea he could make that shot?
BORNA CORIC: Obviously, no, because if I did, then I would be there. Look, like I said, I knew, you know, there is going to be shots which are going to be unbelievable. I was kind of prepared for that. To be honest, I lost my momentum there, and I lost my focus there.

So that was not good. I made two double faults after that, so it kind of got to me a little bit.

Q. (Question off microphone.)
BORNA CORIC: Yeah, after that shot, and then he started to play much better. I pretty much lowered my standards, as well. I made two double faults. I was not returning as good. My level dropped.

And I don't know if it's because of that shot or, you know, I don't know, something happened, I don't know, but definitely since then up to 1-Love in the second set I lost my composure and I was not playing well.

Q. You're kind of the anti-Kyrgios. You're diligent, very hard working, you go about your business, you know, without bothering anybody. Are you proud of this?
BORNA CORIC: No, I'm not proud. I mean, again, you know, like you said, I'm like that, you know. That's me.

When I was younger I was actually different. You know, but these days, in last few years, I change a lot. You know, I try to mind my business. Not to care about anyone else too much, what anyone else does or something like that.

I'm just trying to be focused on tennis. I'm also trying to improve. So, yeah, that's about it, yeah.

Q. A little bit more about playing Felix, you will be playing a guy who has nothing to lose. How difficult is it to play a player like that as opposed to a guy you may have seen numerous times before?
BORNA CORIC: Yeah, absolutely. It's going to be also some new situation for me, you know. It's not very often that I play guys who are younger than me who has nothing to lose.

So it's gonna be something new, definitely. I'm just really looking forward to it. And also to see how I'm going to react on that, how I'm going to behave in that kind of situation, which I have been but not many times, especially at the big occasions, you know, in the quarterfinals of the 1000.

So I need to prepare very well mentally. I need to be ready. I might not play my best tennis because of the pressure or because of this new kind of situation, but again, you need to win matches when you're not playing great. Gonna see.

Q. You said you have played Nick about four times.
BORNA CORIC: I'm not sure.

Q. Have you gotten to know him? Do you like him as a person?
BORNA CORIC: I just said I like him as a person, no? I think off the court he's very nice guy. I have really nothing against him. On the court, I understand to some players it can be very frustrated, I understand, but that's him, you know. So you need to be prepared for that. And, yeah, that's about it.

But when we were playing, you know, it was not a big deal for me. Again, I'm really not focused on him, so maybe some of the things I don't see or I don't listen or anything. Yeah, I like him. He's okay for me.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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