Late last season, Borna Coric decided to listen to his body instead of playing through pain – a decision which could pay dividends at Australian Open 2024.
Coric has been in Melbourne for almost a week already, well progressed in an off-season training block he describes as the “longest I've ever done in my whole life”.
Acclimatising to the heat and the vastly different time zone, and feeling healthy on court, the Croatian star is targeting a better result at Melbourne Park, where he has fallen in the first round in six of eight visits.
"I was always struggling, to be honest, at the Australian Open. Only once I played good, (making fourth round) in 2019,” Coric told ausopen.com prior to a training session at Kooyong.
“All the other years I was actually struggling, maybe a little bit with the draw I was also unlucky to be honest. But I just didn't play well.
“So that's why I also decided to come very early in Australia, because I always find I struggle with the time zone and also with the heat, as last couple of months we kind of spend in the winter. So for me I need maybe a little bit more time than other people to get used to (this).
“I don't expect much, but I hope for the best (smiling).”
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Expectations are tempered because Coric has not played an official match since losing his opener at the US Open in late August.
The former world No.12, who won his biggest title in 2022 at the Cincinnati Masters, struggled through 2023 despite some bright spots during the clay-court season.
He made the decision to shut down his year early.
After playing an exhibition event in Macau in early December, he preferred the idea of travelling directly to Australia to continue preparing for 2024, rather than extra flights back and forth between his Dubai base.
“I didn't have surgery, I needed rest. Mostly because of my elbow, that was my actually biggest problem,” Coric explained.
“I've been playing with a small pain for probably the last six or seven months, and then when you play with a small pain for such a long period of time, then it becomes a little bit more pain, and more pain. I was also not playing at my best, to be honest.
“I actually could have just continued the season and to play until the end, if I wanted to risk a little bit. But I just didn't want to take any risk, and I wanted to take some rest, and to prepare well for the next season.
“(Now I’m feeling) very good. Obviously very healthy; I've been on the courts last seven weeks, I was doing my off-season. Usually (my off-season) it's like four or five weeks, and this year it's going to be 10 or maybe even 12 weeks.”
While training for the Australian summer of tennis – he begins at the United Cup in Sydney alongside Croatian teammate Donna Vekic – Coric is staying in South Yarra, a suburb he loves for the restaurants, shops and coffee.
The 27-year-old is currently not getting to see much of Melbourne – that’s more likely to happen in the week before AO 2024 – as he is mostly on court, in the gym or on the treatment table.
As he builds in his preparation for next season, his main goal for next year is a simple one: to remain injury free.
"I do feel very good on the court,” he said, reassuringly.
“Obviously I know it's not going to be easy (coming back), as I haven't played much of the points, so I'm trying to play now on the practice court as much points as I can.
“The main thing is to stay healthy the whole year, and I can perform well and I can play all the tournaments which I want and that I can train when I want, so I don't need to take any breaks. I'm sure if I can do that, I will play some good tennis.
“I've never been top 10. So that was my goal, and it still is. But I think on court, and in the gym, I'm doing all the right things, I just need to stay healthy and I need to perform for the whole year.”