Coric On Mike Tyson, a Future Culinary Career?

Since playing in the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals, Borna Coric has only climbed the ATP Rankings. He started 2018 at No. 48 but finished the season at No. 12. Where will he finish 2019?

Coric, who faces countryman Ivo Karlovic on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open, sat down with ATPTour.com to talk about his tennis racquet stringing skills (nonexistent), how good of a cook he is (OK) and why he couldn’t wait to meet Mike Tyson (respect).

I missed a flight?
When I was coming to Toronto [in July], I missed a flight from Frankfurt to Toronto and I needed to stay there for one night… Our flight from Zagreb to Frankfurt was delayed for two and a half hours, and this flight was right after two hours, so we just couldn’t make it.

I lost something important?
I need to ask my coach. I have a pretty big team, and they always follow me around so they pick up things that I lose, which is a lot.

But I really take care of my things, which are very important. I lose many non-important things, maybe T-shirts or sweatbands or something. But important stuff I don’t lose.

Read more in the ‘Last Time’ series: Federer | Kyrgios | Tsitsipas

I paid money to rent a tennis court or buy tennis balls?
Ten years ago, when I was 12 years old and I was still playing in my hometown and we needed to pay for the courts… It was a national tennis centre in Zagreb… It was maybe 10€.

I strung a tennis racquet?
Never.

I cooked for myself and others?
I don’t cook often. I do cook sometimes, like eggs for breakfast. But that’s the only thing that I know how to cook, to be honest, and some pasta. Last time was probably when I was in Monte-Carlo, when I was practising in February. I was practising there for like seven days, I was there by myself in this one apartment so I needed to cook in the morning.

They were OK. I do alright eggs, scrambled. It’s not tough, obviously, but I do alright. I just put a little prosciutto on it, and that’s it.

I met a childhood idol?
Indian Wells 2016, Mike Tyson… [As a kid] I was watching his fights and I just find him very entertaining, I loved the way he was fighting. It was really cool. I always wanted to meet him.

Watch: Coric Meets Tyson In Indian Wells