Borna Ćorić
Borna Ćorić (; born 14 November 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player. On 5 November 2018, he reached his best singles ranking of world No. 12. Junior career. In 2013, Ćorić reached the semifinals of both the Australian and French Open junior events, before going on to win the boys' singles event at the US Open against Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis in three sets. As a result, Ćorić moved to No. 1 in the junior rankings. That year, he also began playing on the ITF Futures circuit, winning five singles titles. Professional career. 2013: First best-of-5 match. Ćorić  made his debut at the 2013 Davis Cup, after he was selected for Croatia's World Group Play-off tie against Great Britain, with his first best-of-5 sets match coming against world number 3, Andy Murray. Despite showing promise, matching the Scot's level in the first 6 games, and breaking his serve in the third set, he would ultimately go on to lose in straight sets. 2014: ATP Star of Tomorrow. In April, Ćorić defeated No. 21 Jerzy Janowicz on the first day of the Davis Cup tie between Croatia and Poland. In July, in the first round  of the clay court event in Umag where he was playing with a wildcard, Ćorić scored another notable win over a top-50 player, beating seventh seed, No. 46 Édouard Roger-Vasselin in straight sets. He beat qualifier Horacio Zeballos in the second round to reach his first ATP quarterfinal. In the quarterfinal, he faced second seed Fabio Fognini and lost in three sets. Ćorić entered the top 200 for the first time on 28 July after his run in Umag, at No. 194. In August, Ćorić qualified for the main draw of the 2014 US Open, his first appearance in  the main draw of a Grand Slam. He upset 29th seed Lukáš Rosol in the first round in straight sets, before falling to Víctor Estrella Burgos in the second round. On 21 September, Ćorić won his first ATP Challenger title in İzmir, and he entered the top 150 for the first time at the age of 17 and 10 months, at No. 140. In October, he was given a wildcard for the Swiss Indoors, where he achieved his first victory over a top-20 player, No. 13 Ernests Gulbis, in straight sets. In the quarterfinals he went on to record the  biggest victory of his young career, defeating world No. 3, Rafael Nadal. His run to the semifinals launched him into the world's top 100 for the first time (at No. 93), making him the youngest player to do so since Nadal in 2003. In the semifinal, he lost to future top ten player David Goffin, in three sets. In November, Ćorić won the ATP Star of Tomorrow, awarded by the ATP Awards, for being the youngest player in the top 100. 2015: Top 50 player. At the Australian Open, Ćorić received his first direct entry into the main draw  of a Grand Slam tournament. He faced 29th seed Jérémy Chardy in the first round and lost in four sets. In February, Ćorić made his second ATP 500 semifinal of his career in Dubai, defeating world No. 3, Andy Murray, in straight sets in the quarterfinals, his second win over a top 5 player; this was despite Ćorić losing in the qualifying tournament, and requiring entrance into the main draw as a lucky loser. In the semifinals, he lost to world No. 2, Roger Federer, in straight sets. In March, Ćorić made his ATP Masters 1000 main-draw debut in  Indian Wells, after winning two qualifying matches, reaching the second round. At the French Open, Ćorić reached the third round in a Grand Slam for the first time after defeating Sam Querrey and the 18th seed Tommy Robredo, before falling to Jack Sock. Ćorić achieved his first grass-court win by defeating Donald Young in the first round in Halle before losing to Tomas Berdych in the second round. At the Wimbledon Championships, he defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky in the first round, then lost to 25th seed Andreas Seppi in the second in five sets. In August, Ćorić climbed to a  then career-high of No. 33 in the ATP rankings. After defeating one of his junior rivals, and future top 3 player Alexander Zverev, he lost to Stan Wawrinka in three close sets in the second round in Cincinnati. The Winston-Salem Open saw the first time that Ćorić attended an ATP tournament as a seeded player, where he reached the quarterfinals and lost to eventual champion Kevin Anderson. At the US Open, he lost in the first round to 8th seed Rafael Nadal in four sets. In September, after winning another ATP Challenger title, Ćorić achieved two singles wins  for Croatia in the 2015 Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie against Brazil. He ended his 2015 season at No. 44. 2016: First ATP finals and knee surgery. In January, he was named in Forbes' "30 Under 30" sports list for 2016. That same month, he reached his first ATP final at Chennai, but was defeated by Stan Wawrinka in straight sets. In March, Ćorić played for Croatia in a Davis Cup tie against Belgium. He lost in a five-setter to David Goffin, but won the deciding rubber by defeating Kimmer Coppejans. In April, Ćorić reached his second  ATP final in Marrakesh, losing to Federico Delbonis in straight sets. In July, Ćorić repeated his feat from earlier in the year by winning the decisive rubber in Croatia's Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against the United States, defeating Jack Sock to send Croatia to their first Davis Cup semifinal since 2009. At the Cincinnati Masters, Ćorić scored his third career victory over a top-10 player when he defeated former number one player, Rafael Nadal, in straight sets. It was his second career win over the Spaniard, both of which he achieved while still a teenager. Ćorić reached his first  ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal at the Cincinnati Masters, but was forced to retire when facing the eventual champion, Marin Čilić, in the quarterfinal match due to a knee injury, marking the first time that Ćorić retired during a match in his career. In September, Ćorić lost to Richard Gasquet in the Davis Cup semifinal between France and Croatia, and then announced he would undergo season-ending knee surgery. 2017: First ATP title. In 2017, Ćorić won his first ATP title in Marrakesh, coming back from a set down to defeat Philipp Kohlschreiber in three sets after saving five championship points . On 12 May 2017, at the Madrid Open, Ćorić defeated the number one, Andy Murray, in straight sets. This was his first victory over a world No. 1 player. In the second round of the US Open, Ćorić would record the biggest win of his career at the Grand Slam level, defeating the 4th seed, Alexander Zverev. Ćorić subsequently lost to eventual finalist, Kevin Anderson, in the third round. Ćorić qualified for the Next Generation ATP Finals after finishing in the top seven in the Race to Milan. He entered as the fourth seed and won his group through the  round robin stage, defeating Karen Khachanov, Daniil Medvedev and Jared Donaldson. He was defeated by Andrey Rublev in the semifinals. 2018: Davis Cup champion and Top 15. In February, Ćorić helped Croatia to advance to the Davis Cup quarterfinals, defeating Vasek Pospisil and rising star Denis Shapovalov. In March, Ćorić played his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal in Indian Wells losing to Roger Federer in three tight sets, despite leading by a set and a break. Ćorić followed up this result with another impressive performance in Miami, eventually bowing out to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. In Halle, he upset  world No. 3, Alexander Zverev, and world No. 1, Federer, (who held a 20-match winning streak on grass), to win his second career title and first on grass. Ćorić's serve was broken only twice during the entire tournament. In July, he broke into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time. In September, Ćorić reached the last 16 of a major tournament for the first time in his career at the US Open. Later that month, Croatia hosted the United States for the Davis Cup semifinals. The teams split the first four matches, including a  straight sets victory for Ćorić over Steve Johnson. In the deciding rubber, Ćorić came back from two sets to one down to beat Frances Tiafoe and send Croatia into their second Davis Cup final in three years. Heading into October, Ćorić had failed to reach the quarterfinals in his previous seven tournaments, dating back to his victory in Halle. He broke this drought at the Shanghai Masters by reaching the final, beating defending champion and top seed Federer in the semifinals, before succumbing to Novak Djokovic in the final. His effort in reaching his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final propelled  him to a career high rank of No. 13 in the ATP rankings. In the Davis Cup final in November, Ćorić helped Croatia win the title against France with a victory over Jérémy Chardy. 2019: Fourth round at the Australian Open, back injury. Ćorić began his 2019 season at the Australian Open. Seeded 11th, he won his first-ever match at this tournament by beating Steve Darcis in the first round. He ended up reaching the fourth round where he lost to 28th seed and eventual semifinalist, Lucas Pouille. This marked the second time overall that Ćorić reached the last  16 of a major. In February, Ćorić competed at the Open 13 in Marseille. Seeded second, he suffered a second-round exit at the hands of French wildcard Ugo Humbert. Seeded sixth at the Dubai Championships, he made it to the semifinals where he fell to second seed and eventual champion, Roger Federer. Seeded 11th at the Indian Wells Masters, he was unable to match his semifinal result from last year; he lost in the second round to Ivo Karlović. Seeded 11th at the Miami Open, he reached the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year before losing to Canadian qualifier  Félix Auger-Aliassime. Ćorić started his clay-court season at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Seeded ninth, he made it to the quarterfinals where he was defeated by 13th seed and eventual champion, Fabio Fognini in three sets. Seeded second in Budapest, he lost in his quarterfinals match to qualifier and eventual finalist, Filip Krajinović. Seeded 13th at the Madrid Open, he suffered a first-round loss at the hands of Lucas Pouille. Seeded 13th in Rome, he faced off in the third round against third seed Roger Federer for the fifth time in 14 months. The pair split the opening  two sets and were deadlocked in the decider. Federer won the match in a tiebreak after Ćorić was unable to convert upon two match point opportunities. Seeded 13th at the French Open, his clay-court season ended with a hard-fought defeat in the third round to Jan-Lennard Struff. Ćorić entered the grass-court season as Croatian number one for the first time in his career, after overtaking Marin Čilić in the ATP rankings. Seeded second in 's-Hertogenbosch, he reached his second semifinal of the year where he lost to eventual champion Adrian Mannarino in a third set  tiebreak. Seeded fourth and defending champion at the Halle Open, he overcame qualifier João Sousa in the second round in a grueling three-hour match. He retired down a set against Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the quarterfinals due to a back injury. Ćorić subsequently withdrew from Wimbledon. Ćorić returned during the week of July 15th. He competed at the Croatia Open. Seeded second, he was beaten in the second round by Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso. Seeded 11th at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, he lost in the second round to Adrian Mannarino. Seeded 12th at the Western & Southern Open in  Cincinnati, he was defeated in the first round by American wildcard Reilly Opelka in three sets. Seeded 12th at the US Open, he withdrew from his second-round match against Grigor Dimitrov citing a lower back strain. Ćorić returned to competitive play at the St. Petersburg Open in September. Seeded fourth, he reached his first final of the year; he was defeated by top seed and US Open finalist, Daniil Medvedev, in straight sets. Seeded fourth at the first edition of the Zhuhai Championships, he made it to the quarterfinals losing to seventh seed and eventual champion, Alex de Minaur . 2020: Continued struggles and US Open quarterfinals. Ćorić began his 2020 season at the first edition of the ATP Cup. Croatia was in Group E alongside Austria, Poland, and Argentina. He played three matches, defeating Dominic Thiem but losing to Hubert Hurkacz, and Diego Schwartzman. Seeded 25th at the Australian Open, he was defeated in the first round by Sam Querrey. Seeded fourth at the Argentina Open, Ćorić suffered a second-round loss at the hands of Thiago Monteiro. Seeded fifth at the Rio Open, he reached the semifinals where he was eliminated by third seed Cristian Garín. The ATP  tour suspended tournaments from March through July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ATP resumed tournament play during the week of August 24th. At the Cincinnati Open, Ćorić lost in the second round to seventh seed David Goffin. Seeded 27th at the US Open, he stunned fourth seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, in the third round. Ćorić haad to save a total of six match points in order to complete the upset. He reached the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. He ended up losing to fifth seed and eventual finalist, Alexander Zverev. After the US  Open, Ćorić turned his attention to the clay-court season. He only played one clay-court tournament before the French Open. In Rome, he lost in the second round to Italian wildcard Stefano Travaglia. Seeded 24th at the French Open, he was beaten in the first round by Norbert Gombos. In October, Ćorić played at the St. Petersburg Open. As the seventh seed and last year's finalist, he again reached the final where he fell to third seed Andrey Rublev. In Vienna, he lost in the second round to World Number 1 Novak Djokovic. He had four set points  in the first set, but he ultimately lost the match. Ćorić competed in his final tournament of the season at the Paris Masters. Seeded 15th, he was defeated in the second round by Jordan Thompson in three sets. Ćorić ended the year ranked 24. 2021: Shoulder surgery and hiatus. Ćorić started his 2021 season at the first edition of the Murray River Open. Seeded fourth, he reached the quarterfinals where he lost to eighth seed and eventual champion, Dan Evans. Seeded 22nd at the Australian Open, he was defeated in the second round by American Mackenzie McDonald. In March, Ćorić  competed at the Rotterdam Open. He made it to the semifinals where he lost to qualifier Márton Fucsovics. In May, he announced that he had undergone shoulder surgery; he spent the rest of the year in recovery. Ćorić ended the season ranked 73. 2022: Return from shoulder surgery, out of the top 100. Ćorić was one of the first players to show up in Australia toward the end of December to prepare for the 2022 season. However, he withdrew from the Australian Open due to his shoulder not being ready to compete. He returned to action in March by playing  at the Indian Wells Masters. He lost in the first round to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in three sets. At the Miami Open, he beat Fernando Verdasco in the first round. In the second round, he pushed second seed and 2018 finalist, Alexander Zverev, to three sets, but he ended up losing the match. Starting his clay-court season at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Ćorić was defeated in the first round by ninth seed Jannik Sinner in three sets. The week of April 25th saw him playing at the Garden Open, a tournament that was part of the ATP Challenger Tour  in Rome. He was beaten in the first round by third seed and Italian, Flavio Cobolli in three sets. Playing style and coaching. Ćorić is a defensive baseliner. He is very solid and consistent from primarily the backhand wing, but has shown some improvement from the forehand wing in 2018, and this improvement was praised in his defeats of Roger Federer in both the 2018 Halle final and Shanghai Masters semi-final. However, he continues to struggle hitting forehand groundstrokes in defensive positions or on the run. He has great coordination and footwork, thus allowing him to move well laterally  on the court. His style of play lends itself to having long rallies and wearing down his opponent from the baseline. Due to the fact that he's born left-handed but plays on his right hand, the strengths in his game are in his movement and his two-handed backhand. His forehand, with his long takeback and tendency to break down under the stress of an opponent’s offence, has been cited as an area of possible focus in the future. In addition, he also possesses a strong and precise serve, which enables him to win a lot of  easy points. That in turn, helps to preserve his energy for return games and outlast opponents in long rallies, in order to break their serve. He is punishing to players who drop the ball short, allowing him to take the ball on the rise and turn defense into offence effectively, earning him comparison to Novak Djokovic. He has been lauded for his impressive mental fortitude in tough situations. His past coaches have been Željko Krajan (2014-2015), Thomas Johansson (2015), Miles Maclagan (2016), Ivica Ančić (2016-2017), Riccardo Piatti (2017-2019), Antonio Veić (2019-2020). and Martin Štěpánek (2020-2021 ). He is currently coached by Mate Delic. Personal life. In June 2020, Ćorić tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the Adria Tour. Career statistics. Grand Slam tournament performance timeline. "Current through the 2021 Australian Open."