"I can finally say I'm back" - Borna Coric on his return from injury, goals for the season and summer vacation

It's been exactly a year since former World No. 12 Borna Coric last competed on the ATP tour. The 25-year-old had surgery on his right shoulder in May 2021 and had to undergo a long and arduous rehabilitation process in order to return to the sport he has played and loved since he was a child.

As the Croat prepares for his return at this week's BNP Paribas Open by means of a protected ranking, we caught up with Coric to talk about his long injury lay-off, how his shoulder feels right now and what goals he is chasing on his return.

Here are some of the excerpts from the interview:

Exclusive Interview with Borna Coric

Sportskeeda: It’s been exactly one year since you played your last match on the tour, following which you underwent shoulder surgery. Can you tell us how you are feeling physically and what the rehabilitation process was like?

Borna Coric: It's been very, very tough. I didn't expect that (I would be out for so long) when I had the surgery. But then it just sort of happened and it was taking a lot of time for me to get back into good shape. especially with the shoulder.

So yes, it's not been an easy road but at the same time, it is what it is. That’s tennis life sometimes. I accepted it in a way and just decided that I'm going to work every day as much as I can on the shoulder and give myself the best chance to be back as soon as possible. And that's what I did. Finally, after one year, I arrived yesterday in the United States and I’m looking forward to playing.

Sportskeeda: How confident are you feeling right now about your shoulder as you prepare for your return to the circuit?

Borna Coric: The shoulder is feeling good. It’s much much better now, especially when I compare it to the pain I had been playing through over the last few years. The pain had been there for a very long time. So I decided to have the surgery.

I have done a great amount of rehab and it's much, much better than before. I feel strong, I feel healthy. I'm not taking any medication for the pain either after a long, long time as well. So that's very satisfying. So now, I am finally back on the tour without any pain.

Obviously, after the surgery, you are going to have some ups and downs. I am now able to play every day, I even played three sets in practice and it felt great. So I can finally say I'm back.

Sportskeeda: You mentioned that one year was longer than you expected to be out when you had the surgery. During the tough times in the last year, what kept you going and motivated?

Borna Coric: Well, generally, I'm a very motivated person anyway, so I didn't need any extra push but obviously, just the love for the game. I've been playing tennis my whole life. So, I was just trying to stay focused. Like I said, I tried to do as much as I could every day and tried to be back on the tour.

During this time, I also realized how good my life is. I love travelling, I love all the tournaments and I'm really blessed to be playing tennis again. So, it all came down to just the love for the game. And I love competing as well. That's what I missed the most in this one year, playing points, playing big matches, playing on the important stages because that's what we all play for and that’s something I really missed.

Sportskeeda: After coming back from such a long lay-off, the main goal for any player in this situation would be to remain healthy. Besides that, have you set any specific goals or targets for this year as you make your comeback?

Borna Coric: Honestly, I haven't set any goals. I stopped doing that a while ago because it didn’t make sense and it would just put extra pressure on myself, which is really not needed. The main goal is just to be healthy and to play tennis and just work hard every day as well. I'm sure with that, if I'm able to stay healthy, I'm going to be back where I was before the surgery.

Sportskeeda: What were the top one or two things that you missed while being away from the game?

Borna Coric: It was the competition for sure. That's what I missed the most. I'm a very competitive person and then all of a sudden, just being at home for nine to 10 months, not competing, not having that stress and adrenaline, it just felt weird. It was not a good feeling. I missed playing big matches on the big stages. I also like traveling to different tournaments and places, so I was missing that as well.

Sportskeeda: While you were away from the game, besides the rehab and fitness part, what did you do to keep yourself busy?

Borna Coric: Besides rehab, I did enjoy spending time with my friends. This was the first time in eight years that I was able to go on a vacation in the summer for a couple of weeks. I had never been able to do that earlier because I was always on tour. Previously, the longest holiday I had was like six days because I would still need to work on fitness and practice during the off-season.

So, it was just really nice to go with my friends out on the sea in the summer and just enjoy some free time. After the summer, I went on a nice trip to Rome for a couple of days and also did a few smaller trips and enjoyed my time. But the rest of the time, I was pretty much focused on the rehab process.

Sportskeeda: How does it feel to be back on the tournament site and meet all your friends and peers as you prepare for the Indian Wells Masters Series this week?

Borna Coric at Indian Wells in March 2022

Borna Coric: Of course, I was very happy. I haven't seen them all yet because I have just reached Indian Wells and many of the others are yet to arrive. I did not see many of them in Australia, only a couple of them, because I left before the tournament began there.

With my close friends on the tour, we have kept in touch and I was looking forward to seeing them. As players, we spent a lot of time together over the years. Then being away from the tour, it means you're not with them. So, it's nice for sure.

Sportskeeda: You spoke about being in Australia and then pulling out. How frustrating was that in terms of preparing for a tournament, hoping to compete but then deciding to delay it by some time?

Borna Coric: I mean, yes and no. I went there with the idea that it’s possible that I'm not going to be ready for the tournament. So, I kind of knew maybe it could happen. As we got closer, I probably could have pushed for it if I wanted to, but that just didn't make a lot of sense.

I wanted to be 100% ready when I come back in terms of being confident that I can go deep in tournaments. I don’t want to play just one round and then maybe pull out because something else gets hurt or injured.

Was it frustrating? A little bit. I still really enjoyed being in Melbourne. I had a very nice time with my team. I was practicing. Obviously, they were not in lockdown then, so that was nice, because back then Croatia was pretty much in lockdown so it was good. I can't complain.

Sportskeeda: Hoping everything goes well with your shoulder, what’s your tournament schedule like for the next few months?

Borna Coric: It’s going to be Indian Wells, then Miami and then Monte Carlo. After that, I'm going to decide in a couple of weeks about the rest of my schedule. I just want to see how my shoulder feels after the first few tournaments.

It's been very good during the practice sessions; I've played many sets leading into this tournament. I don't think there is anything that can go wrong, but still, I just want to make sure that everything goes well and then I will plan the rest of my schedule.