The Croatian was coming out of a few difficult years on the circuit following a right shoulder injury. Now in Ohio everything seems to have changed and with his victory he was once again among the top thirty in the world.
Borna Coric will never forget Cincinnati. Over there he conquered his first Masters 1000, obtained the greatest victory of his career and left behind him a dark period of his time as a professional . All in less than seven days.
At 25, he reinvents himself on the asphalt of Ohio and once again has an opportunity among the best in the world, since he came to the tournament as 152 on the planet and left with the trophy, a climb of 123 positions and several recordings.
During the tournament which is played in the United States, Coric arrived with a secondary role. Far from the first pages, alone managed to be part of the event thanks to his protected classification , so many expected to see it release almost immediately. Especially when it was confirmed that his rival in the second round was Rafael Nadal (3rd).
But the Croatian did what seemed impossible. He beat the Spaniard 7-6(9), 4-6, 6-3, and went on an impressive winning streak. After losing a month ago to a player outside the top 300 in a Challenger contest, he went on to beat three of the top ten players in the world in a single week. . Besides Nadal, Auger-Aliassime and Norrie were victims of the former junior world number one.
He thus left behind him a period full of bad times. After an operation on his right shoulder in May 2021, the European had many complications to be able to return to the circuit and when he did, only in March 2022, the results did not accompany him. In the season he had a record of four wins and nine losses reaching the worst ranking of his career in more than eight years: 278 in the world.
But Cincinnati seems to have changed everything. The victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (0) and 6-2 in the tournament final is the reward for tenacity. The one who turns it into cLowest-ranked champion in Masters 1000 history since it arrived at the contest being the 152 of the planet.
“I have no words to describe what I feel. I knew I was coming here with confidence, I felt I was at a good level, but I had no idea that I was going to be able to display this tennis. Now I’m going to celebrate it in a very simple way, I know I can’t relax because the US Open is coming in a week. I need to recover well, I didn’t expect to play so many high intensity matches here, I arrived with a bit of discomfort and now my body feels very charged. I’m going to take two days off and then I’ll think about New York. “, he testified in a post-match press conference.
But this poor ranking is behind him, as the title earned him a thousand points and a promotion of 123 places. This Monday, he appeared as the 29th in the world and in positions that will allow him to be seeded at the US Open. Your next target? Replicate the level displayed in Ohio and once again reach 12th in the world, the highest ranking of his career. “The mistakes I made as a young man allowed me to achieve this success was one of the most iconic phrases he uttered during dream week.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
