“I befriended the ball again,” comeback man Borna Coric reveals thoughts during ghastly injury period

“I befriended the ball again,” comeback man Borna Coric reveals thoughts during ghastly injury period

Borna Coric

During his semi-final match in Rotterdam in 2021 against Marton Fucsovics, Borna Coric could barely put in a serve. It turned out to be his last tennis match in more than a year.

After undergoing right shoulder surgery, followed by eight months of rehabilitation, former world No.12 Borna Coric is finally ready to step onto the court in an official match. Coric is due to play in Indian Wells, a tournament where he reached the semis in 2018, starting his biggest breakthrough so far.

Borna Coric talks about injury and rehabilitation ahead of comeback

Borna Coric
Borna Coric

Ahead of his long-awaited return to the court, Borna Coric spoke to Tennis Majors on his rehab, his doubts, his new team, and his feelings about tennis on his return.

The Croatian revealed that the feeling on his return is something unmatched, also revealing that despite the return just now, he has been playing for a long time. According to him, he befriended the ball again in that period.

“I can’t compare this feeling to anything, since this is my first time being sidelined for a year. It feels incredible to be back. I have been playing for quite some time. I started on 1st November, although I could not serve at that point. So I have been playing tennis for three months now, and in the last two, I was able to serve properly. Let’s say I befriended the ball again, ha-ha, and it feels wonderful since previously I hadn’t touched a racquet for seven months, which was the longest stretch in my career.” Said Coric.

The Croatian also talked about the fears of never returning when undergoing surgery, revealing that he had initially been fearful due to a slight complication in his surgery. He then went on to reveal that he didn’t feel secure and thus doubts creeped in when he returned to practice.

“When a professional athlete goes to surgery, it is never guaranteed that he will come back the same. I had slight complications after the surgery because the pain was present longer than we anticipated. I didn’t feel secure, I was serving lightly and still felt pain, along with spasms in my muscle, all of which I was told should have been gone by then. Doubts did creep in, but I knew that I had to do my part every day,” added Coric.

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