Eighteen-year-old Borna Coric has been clocking close to three hours daily on the court ever since he arrived in Chennai. Now he wants to “slow it down and get some rest,” and stay fresh when the tournament gets underway on January 5. But for the Croat, the past year has been a ride on the highway. He became the first 17-year-old to make the top 100 since Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet did it 10 years ago. On Friday he spoke to The Hindu on his successes so far and his future.
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I was playing really good… especially towards the end of the year. I had some very good wins and I played one semifinal at Basel (ATP 500). I also beat Rafael Nadal. So I am very happy with the season. Now I need to focus on new challenges.
Was the win over Nadal the highlight of the year?
Yeah. It was a special feeling. I didn’t expect to beat him and just told myself to give my best. He didn’t play his best tennis and I played very good on important points. But as I said, I can’t keep looking at the past.
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In 2013, you trained with Nadal in Spain. Now before coming here you trained with Novak Djokovic. What did you learn?
You can see how they practise and what their habits are. Some things I had also started and confirmed that those were the right things to do. But I can’t say [I learnt] something very special.”
Growing up, how big an influence was Goran Ivanisevic?
I met him when I was 14 or 15. I used to play with him a lot because when I was 16 I didn’t have any coach for six months. Now I don’t play him much but we text each other almost everyday. He is an unbelievable guy.
In which areas of the game have you improved in the last year?
The serve has been my biggest improvement. And also my forehand. I still need to improve my volleys.
Tennis has become a very physical game. As a youngster how much do you focus on the fitness part?
One and half hours of fitness and about four hours of tennis is what I do each day.
How do you like the conditions here?
It’s very hot but you get used to it. Evenings are nice to play. Courts are not fast and I like it that way. So I like being here.
What are your targets for the coming season?
To finish in the top 50. It is very doable.