The win in Croatia, surrounded by family and friends, was particularly special for the 28-year-old, although he admitted he was not exactly strict in his match-day preparations at home.
“I was just not in the tournament mode. I was having fun with my family I was going to the restaurants. I was not taking care so much of the sleep, when I’m going to sleep and stuff like that. I was just waking up,” he said.
“I was playing every day at 11 AM, besides the first match. That’s my favorite time. I need to be honest, I was asking the tournament director for it. I like to wake up early, I like to play, and then I’m done for the day. I also know when I’m playing, that’s my favorite part about it.”
“Going back to my roots”
Coric made the decision to drop down to the Challenger Tour after struggling for consistency during 2024, when he finished the year 12-19. This season didn’t start any better, and first round exits at the Australian Open and the Montpellier 250 saw his ranking drop to 143rd. The Croatian then decided it was time for a reset—with the ATP Challenger Tour the perfect opportunity.
“My approach was definitely not to go there and to win in the tournament. My approach was just that I need to play matches because I’ve lost many first turns in a row and I didn’t have enough matches in my opinion,” he explained.
I think once you win a couple of good matches, which I did on the first tournament, and I showed to myself that I can play good tennis again. I was really happy with my level. I was saying to my coaches, and I was saying I’m feeling like I’m back on a very good level. Borna Coric
