CHENNAI: As the cliche goes, the fruits of hardship are worth the wait. In their endeavour to be successful, people sometimes have to overcome many obstacles. The world of tennis too has its list of life lessons.
At the age of three, Serena Williams and elder sister Venus started learning the sport under their father in Compton, California. The courts were riddled with potholes and sometimes even missing a net.
A six-year-old Novak Djokovic began playing at a time when the war in former Yugoslavia and the bombing of Belgrade meant his family would spend a few hours in the middle of each night in the basement for months.
Even though it wasn’t quite as troubled, 18-year-old Borna Coric has also led a difficult childhood. Like the two aforementioned stars, he credits it for teaching him discipline and respect. “It wasn’t as bad as some people may think, but at the same time it hasn’t been very easy because we don’t have the best facilities and the weather is bitterly cold,” the Croat says.
For a small country that considers football its national sport, Croatia has done very well in tennis. From 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic to last year’s US Open winner Marin Cilic, as well as former top 10 players Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic, the World No 95 has a rich history to emulate. But that’s where things get difficult. “Our national federation doesn’t have as much money as those in Great Britain, Australia and the US. We have asked them many times for help, but they’re unable to do enough. We’re a small country and need to fight hard for everything and the will to survive is evident in us. If one doesn’t play well, one loses out on money and then going to the next tournament becomes difficult.”
In his eyes, understanding the worth of money is a good lesson, better than just getting everything on a silver platter. “It’s good, as it builds character,” he declares.
Coric is the youngest player in the top 100 since a teenage Rafael Nadal in 2003. Beginning the new year with a coaching change, he hopes the partnership with Davis Cup skipper Zeljko Krajan will bring him many more laurels. “I started working with him this year and we hit it off very well. Let’s see how it goes,” the 2014 ATP Star of Tomorrow adds.
Despite all the promise, the junior US Open victor had the unenviable task of taking on defending champion Stan Wawrinka in the second round on Wednesday. “The court is medium-paced and the slow balls suit me very nicely. I will treat playing Stan like any other match, because when one starts thinking too much, it creates unnecessary doubts. It’s much easier said than done obviously, but the ideal situation would be not looking at it like I’m playing the World No 4.”
Sadly for Coric, those reserves of character were not enough as he fell 1-6, 4-6 to Wawrinka.