DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 25, 2022

Borna Coric

Team Croatia

Press Conference

B. CORIC/T. Kokkinakis

6-4, 6-3

Team Croatia - 1

Team Australia - 0

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Borna, congratulations on the win. You just said yesterday here at the press conference that you still do work with your shoulder, 30 minutes every day. With the magnificent game you did today, I'm very curious about how did you learn to live with the pain? As not free pain as you said yesterday, you're still playing at super huge level, so how has been that process for you?

BORNA CORIC: Yeah, that's very good question. I mean, to be honest, it was just, you know, like I said before, once I knew I cannot damage anything, you know, nothing can break inside or I can do any damage with one bad shot or something, I was much calmer in my head. Then I just accept the situation.

You know, I know sometimes I will have pain, but I know it's not a big deal. You know, I'm actually more worried when I have pain in my adductor or in my knee, because I know I can do some damage.

It's just there. I don't talk much about it with my team, to be honest. We don't mention it much. I try not to think about it. I just accept when it's painful, and I play with pain, or actually I just take the painkillers sometimes as well and I don't play with pain then.

Then sometimes I have a small pain afterwards, but overall, I just accepted the situation. If that's what I need to pay, you know, to play on the high level and to play tennis, which I enjoy the most, I'm fine with that. That's how I deal with it.

Q. Today what was the difference? Was it the fact you had actually had a couple of matches under your belt on this court, or do you think there was something else?

BORNA CORIC: Yeah, that's also very good point, because, you know, I was surprised when they select him, because he also didn't play any matches since Tokyo. So I honestly didn't think that he's gonna be playing.

Yeah, for sure, it did help me a little bit, because I already played a match. I played in last six weeks way, way more than him, which I think in the end it did make the difference.

Obviously he's a very, very dangerous player. His serve is, I would say, one of the best on tour. Like I said, in the first couple of games, I was not able to almost touch it. I didn't see where it's going or anything. So I was struggling. But I did find a way in the end. That's the most important.

Q. How much of a benefit do you think was the fact that you were serving first? And especially in that first set, you're up 5-4, I guess the pressure is on Thanasi to hold serve and you were able to break for that set?

BORNA CORIC: Yeah, I don't know. I don't believe much in that, to be honest. I don't know. I had that actually conversation with my dad, and he's been telling me I need to choose serve. If I'm in the coin toss, I always choose to receive most of the time, but I don't think it makes much of a difference. I think it's just in your head. You still need to win the same number of games.

No, if it's 1-4 or 3-2 with the break, you know, it's just in your head basically. Maybe today it did help a little bit probably, but, yeah, I just think for me it doesn't make a huge difference, because I know I need to win the same number of games if I want to win the set.