Roger Federer leaving tennis tour makes it ‘easier for many players’, says Borna Coric – ‘It’s weird’

Croatian tennis player Borna Coric has revealed his mindset when playing against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, describing the occasion as a tribute and talking about what it will be like on the ATP Tour after the Swiss star is no more. present.

The 26-year-old believes the iconic trio have been too good for the chasing pack to challenge them, but has nevertheless enjoyed previous matches and relished the opportunity to face them, especially Federer, who has done incredible things for the sport. .

He also made it clear that he feels “it’s strange” that Federer is not on the tennis circuit.

I’ve said many times that I like big crowds and big stages. When you play against them, it’s a guarantee.

It’s weird now that Federer isn’t around anymore, but it’s also a little easier for a lot of players. He has done incredible things for the sport.

I was able to really focus on the match against Federer because I tried not to think about other aspects. It was just me against him and that’s how I try to approach every match.

When I get to a match, I no longer think about who I’m up against and what they’ve achieved.

Coric certainly rose to the occasion as he defeated Nadal en route to winning his first ATP 1000 event in Cincinnati.

He defeated Nadal 7–6 4–6 6–3 in the second round before victories against Roberto Bautista Agut, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Cameron Norriet and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to claim the title.

The Croatian, who reached a career-high world ranking of No. 12 last year, is desperate to make his mark at the upcoming Australian Open after a lengthy preparation period in Dubai.

I don’t want to set too many goals, but that would be the next step for me, he added. I’ve been 12th in the world and hopefully now I can go even higher by making the top ten.

The most important thing is to be healthy and then results will come.

It’s always different at Slams because best-of-five over that makes it a lot more physical, but that week in Cincinnati has shown me that I can compete at the highest level.

It has given me the motivation to go to court and work even harder. It shows that I can become a top ten player and hopefully more one day.

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