"I didn't touch a racquet for 7 months" - Coric on injury and return to tennis

Borna Coric is set to make his return to tennis after a very long time in Indian Wells and ahead of his return he gave an exclusive interview for Tennis Majors.

The last time Borna Coric played a match was last year in February. It was against Marton Fucsovics in the Rotterdam semifinal. A full year later he is set to make his return. After undergoing right shoulder surgery, followed by eight months of rehabilitation, the former world No 12 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.

He said:

"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."

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Coric admitted that he was in doubt about his recovery many times during the process:

"For me, the hardest period of time was when I realised that I wouldn’t be able to compete at the US Open, that I was not even close to achieving that goal. After that, I took a two-week vacation to rest from everything. I went to the seaside, did not do any workouts, did not practise. Perhaps that was the hardest time, but on the other hand, I had a lot of fun on vacation, to be honest, so I handled what was happening easier."

He also said he does not have a fixed goal ahead of his return:

"I really did not, I stopped doing that back in 2018. Before that, I would always have some stupid goals and I never fulfilled them. And then, when I didn’t set any, I managed to achieve things that I was longing for for quite some time."