Borna Coric to lead field for 2023 Astana Open
Borna Coric will attempt to follow in Novak Djokovic’s footsteps in October after he confirmed he will play the Astana Open.
Coric is currently the highest-ranked player to sign-up to play the event, which only became a permanent part of the ATP Tour in 2022, with home favourite Alexandr Bublik expected to be his biggest competition for the title.
Last year it was won by Novak Djokovic, but with the Serbian able to take part in the US hardcourt swing this year, he is not expected to defend his title.
Borna Coric in need of momentum
It would be fair to say that Borna Coric’s career so far has been about magic moments rather than sustained momentum.
The first of them came at 17-years-old when he beat Rafael Nadal in Basel before losing to David Goffin in the semi-finals. That breakthrough was enough to win him the ATP Star of Tomorrow award, and he was tipped for the very top. That looked justified when he beat world number three Andy Murray the following year at the 2015 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Since then, he has struggled to make a consistent impression, although he has certainly made his presence felt. Perhaps, though, the last couple of seasons will be seen by the Croatian as a missed opportunity.
After all, in 2022 he returned from shoulder surgery to perform sensationally at the Cincinnati Masters. With his movement revitalised by the ASICS Gel Resolution 9s, he took out five top 20 players in a row, including Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime to win a maiden Masters title.
That meant that, eight years on from his Star of Tomorrow award, he was giving another acceptance speech, this time for the ATP Comeback of the Year.
“I’m super happy to win the ATP Comeback Player of the Year award,” he said. “Obviously it does mean a lot to me after a very, very hard season, and after my shoulder surgery.
“So all I can say is thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. It does mean a lot to me and obviously I hope that my next season is going to be even better.”
The 2023 season hasn’t really seen Coric build on that, despite semi-final appearances in Madrid and Los Cabos. However, he heads to Astana in a familiar position of searching for a magic moment again – and very well capable of producing one.
Borna Coric and ASICS
Borna wears ASICS Gel-Resolution 9 trainers which are the latest version of the Japanese performance brand’s specialist tennis shoe designed for baseline grinders who want stability and durability. You can learn more about the 9th version of the Gel-Resolution from this recent Tennishead review which includes a play-test video.
The Gel-Resolution 9 features a new Dynawrap to support the top and front of the foot and keep the foot in place when performing the most dynamic movements on court.
All Tennishead CLUB members have the choice to receive ASICS Gel-Resolution 9 trainers along with a full ASICS tennis outfit when they join. Full details on how to become a member of the World’s first virtual tennis club can be found here.
To purchase any shoe from ASICS’s tennis range with an exclusive Tennishead 5% discount, visit our trusted, independent tennis specialist retail partner All Things Tennis using this link and your discount will be automatically applied when you reach the checkout.
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