Croatia Selects Teen-Ager For Davis Cup Duty This Weekend

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 12th September 2013

Croatia Selects Teen-Ager For Davis Cup Duty This Weekend

epa03554340 Borna Coric of Croatia in action during his boy's singles semi final match against Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia, at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 25 January 2012. EPA/JULIAN SMITH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

Croatia has sprung a surprise selection in their Davis Cup line-up against Britain in the World Group qualifying play-off.

They will pitch 16 year-old US Open Boys’ champion Borna Coric into the fray against the might of Wimbledon champion and world no.3 Andy Murray.

Captain Zeljko Krajan has had his resources stripped by the unavailability of Marin Cilic because of the ongoing drug investigation by the International Tennis Federation and Ivo Karlovic’s refusal to come out of Davis Cup retirement.

Ironically 525th ranked Coric spends a vast amount of his time in Britain, working as part of the privately funded JTC squad in Northwood, that also includes emergent women’s player Donna Vekic, on the outskirts of suburban London where she is coached by Englishman Ryan Jones.

Coric has faced an even more hectic schedule this week than Murray in his race to get from New York to Umag on the Adriatic coast. He only won the Boys’ title at Flushing Meadows late on Sunday afternoon but that has not prevented Krajan from choosing him in preference to 205th ranked Antonio Veic and 374th Mate Pavic on the clay of the Stadion Stella Maris.

After his title victory in New York – beating the Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, Coric was asked about potentially coming up against Murray and replied: “I don’t think I can win – only if he injures himself. I haven’t played a five-set match, so if I’m playing it’s going to be tough.

“I think it’s going to be a huge experience for me just playing with them, to watch Murray, and maybe in some crazy situation to play the match. I think it can help me a lot in my career.”

Coric, who doesn’t turn 17 for another two months, has won three senior titles on the Futures circuit this year (two in Izmir, Turkey and the other in Bournemouth, England) and finished his junior career with victory in New York on Sunday, a win that put him top of the ITF junior world rankings.

“It’s unbelievable to play for my country,” said Coric. “When I was eight or nine we won the Davis Cup – I was watching on the TV and hoping one day I’m going to play there.”

Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic has influenced Coric greatly and the youngster said: “I know Goran, we are speaking every day. He’s really helping me a lot – to have Goran Ivanisevic on your side is unbelievable. In Zagreb we train a lot and we know him very, very well.”

Ivan Dodig, ranked 35th in the world, will fill the no.1 Croatian singles place and tomorrow faces US Open surprise package Dan Evans who progressed through qualifying and then beat far higher ranked Kei Nishikori and Bernard Tomic before losing in a close fought match to Roger Federer’s conqueror Tommy Robredo.

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Borna Coric, Davis Cup, Sports, Tennis, US Open, Wimbledon