Borna Coric revealed that his mindset against Roger Federer was to focus on the match and not think too much about the Swiss’s greatness and records. The 26-year-old Coric has faced Federer six times and had a surefire win against the Swiss.
After losing his first two matches against Federer, Coric stunned the Swiss in the 2018 Halle final 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2. Later that year, Coric defeated Federer in Shanghai 6-4, 6-4 for his first Masters final, which he then lost to Novak Djokovic.
Coric was beaten by Federer in their last two meetings as the Swiss beat the Croat twice in 2019, in Dubai and the Rome Masters. «I was really able to focus on the match against Federer because I tried not to think about the other aspects.
It was just me against him and that’s the way I try to treat every match. Once I get into the match, I no longer think about who I am against and what they have achieved,» Coric told All Court Tennis Club.
Coric on playing against Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Coric has had success against Nadal and leads head-to-head against the Spaniard 3-2.
Against Djokovic, Coric hasn’t had any success as the Serb leads their head-to-head 4-0. However, succeeding against two of the three members of the Big Three is not something that many have achieved. «It’s an honor to play against them.
I also did very well against them and played some of the best tennis of my career. I have said many times that I like big crowds and big stages. When you play against them, that’s a guarantee. It’s strange now that Federer is gone, but it will also be a bit easier for many players. He has done amazing things for the sport,» Coric said.
