Borna Coric declares he ‘has little to lose’ after reaching Cincinnati final
Borna Coric is relishing every moment in Cincinnati after reaching the final there to face fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Croatian, 25, entered the Masters tournament by way of a protected ranking while sat at 152nd in the world.
He has since won five matches dropping just one set, and that against 22-time Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the second round.
Coric then defeated two more top 10 pros in Felix Auger-Aliassime and Cameron Norrie to reach the final.
“I was really working very hard in the last six months,” he said after downing Norrie. “I think once you are in the top 20 or top 30, you can get a little bit sloppy and maybe get away with it.
“But once you fall down to number 200, I don’t know where I was, but I knew I needed to work probably three times harder than I used to work, and that’s what I did. For the last six months, I was really focused. I kept my head down even when I was losing.
“I don’t have much to lose [in the final]. I have done everything that I could this week and more than I expected, so I’m just going to go out there and enjoy my time tomorrow on the court.”
Since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2021, the former world number 12 has struggled as his ranking dropped as low as 264th in early May.
Now ranked 48th in the live ATP rankings, leaping 104 spots in Cincinnati, he will be seeded at the US Open should he defeat Tsitsipas and claim the title in his second Masters final.
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