Teenager Borna Coric says he can take a lot from his week in Dubai, where he defeated Andy Murray to reached the semifinals against Roger Federer. The biggest difference will be his ranking, he said, which will improve from No. 84 and allow him to gain direct entry into smaller ATP events.
"But also I showed to myself that I can play with the best guys, with the Top 50 guys, Top 70. Also I beat Andy Murray, so I showed to myself that I can play," he said, adding that he also saw how well he needs to play to be competitive. "I need to be on 100 percent mentally tennis‑wise and also physically."
The 18-year-old found it a challenge, both psychologically and physically, to defeat the third-ranked Murray and return the next day against No. 2 Federer.
"I was feeling yesterday like I won the Grand Slam, and then today I need to go out again after 24 hours and play against a guy—we all know who he is," he said following the semifinal.
Playing Federer was an occasion in itself. "I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect exactly, because I never played him, you know," he said, joking that it wasn't quite the same as seeing the 17-time Grand Slam champion from the sidelines. "This is almost a dream come true. I was watching him since I was I think maybe six or seven. I was watching him play Wimbledon, playing all the slams.
"But when you come on the court and when you actually feel the ball and feel the pressure which he's making, it's actually been tougher than when you're watching it in the sofa."
"You know, I was just trying to hold in the rally as long as I can, and it was basically only thing what I could do," Coric said. ''Also, I was serving very badly. But I was serving badly all tournament, so I wasn't too surprised. You know, when you're playing against a guy who is No. 1 or No. 2 in the world, need to be serving much better if you're going to even compete with him."