Borna Coric returns to scene of his greatest win
dubai — Dubai holds a special place in Borna Coric’s heart. The talented Croatian spends his off seasons in the city of iconic landmarks to hone his skills and prepare for the new tennis seasons.
It was also in Dubai that Coric famously beat Andy Murray in the second round. Coric was only 18 then and he went on to the reach the semifinals of the championships.
“I think that was maybe my second best win and it is still a great memory. Also in the 2016 I was playing good tennis here, I lost in the second round but I was playing good. I hope to have a good run this year as well,” the 21-year-old player said.
But Coric expects a tough first round clash with fifth seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
“Of course, the first expectation is to win the first round. That’s the most important thing. Actually it’s a very tough first round here, it’s not going to be easy,” he said.
“I am looking forward to our match. I think we never played. Oh no, we actually played in a Davis Cup and he beat me very easily, so it’s going to be a very interesting match. And I am looking forward to it,” the world number 48 added.
“I have plenty of motivation, you know, it’s a very big event. It’s a great tournament, so I’m just looking forward to it.”
There were huge expectations when he beat Murray in Dubai, but Coric hasn’t quite reached the heights yet in his career.
“I broke into the top at a very young age. So I had huge expectations from myself, so that was a positive thing and it was a bad thing also because that put a lot of pressure on me. But I feel like I have achieved a lot in my career so far and I feel I can achieve a lot more,” he said.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com