‘Super Happy’ Coric Named 2022 Comeback Player Of The Year

After missing a year due to a shoulder injury, Borna Coric’s determination to rediscover his best tennis became one of the 2022 ATP Tour season’s most inspirational storylines. The Croatian’s achievements after overcoming adversity have now been recognised by his fellow players, who have voted Coric as the Comeback Player of the Year in the 2022 ATP Awards.

“I’m super happy to win the ATP Comeback Player of the Year award,” said Coric. “Obviously it does mean a lot to me after a very, very hard season, and after my shoulder surgery. So all I can say is thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. It does mean a lot to me and obviously I hope that my next season is going to be even better.”

Since undergoing surgery in May 2021, Coric has had to spend between 30 and 90 minutes a day working on his right shoulder to maintain it. Considerable off-court commitment is necessary for the Croatian to even make it onto court, let alone to start winning matches on the ATP Tour.

That hasn’t stopped the 26-year-old from surging back up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this year. Having dropped as low as No. 278 in May, Coric ended the season at No. 26.

After making his comeback at Indian Wells in March, Coric was understandably rusty. Yet an ATP Challenger Tour title won in Italy in June was a sign that he was starting to find his feet again, and the former World No. 12 then charged back into the ATP Tour winners’ circle in style at the Western & Southern Open in August.

“I have no words, to be honest,” said Coric after taking out five Top 20 players in a row, including Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas, to claim a stunning maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. “It’s just an unbelievable feeling… I thought I could play well. I was training hard, and I knew I could play good tennis, but that I could play this level tennis, I was just not aware. I’m just super happy.”

Coric was nominated in the Comeback category alongside three other players who have overcome injury to re-establish themselves as a major force on Tour — Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Wu Yibing.