"If Jennifer Aniston could do it in Friends, I can do it on court" - Borna Coric jokes about his on-court appearance during Vienna QF
Borna Coric continued his impressive attempt to return to his best as he beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-6(5) in two hours and 53 minutes in the quarterfinals of the Vienna Open on Saturday.
The 27th-ranked player is through to the semifinals of the ATP 500 tournament and will square off against Canada's Denis Shapovalov for a spot in the finals on Saturday.
It was the third meeting between Coric and Hurkacz, with the former now leading 2-1 head-to-head. While Coric defeated the Pole at the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters, 11th-ranked Hurkacz avenged his loss in the 2020 ATP Cup.
Although Hurkacz was in control of the match for the most part, Coric managed to score the only breakpoint of the contest. He finished with 36 winners, 11 unforced errors, and seven aces, compared to 58 winners, 17 unforced errors, and 28 aces from Hurkacz.
In a strange tweet after the match, 25-year-old Coric posted a photograph of himself in which his nipples can be seen through his t-shirt. He made a reference to the popular American TV sitcom 'Friends' and one of its lead actresses, Jennifer Aniston, writing:
"If Jennifer Aniston could do it in Friends, I can do it on court. #NipplePeople," Coric tweeted.
If Jennifer Aniston could do it in Friends, I can do it on court
🤷🏻♂️😂
#NipplePeople https://t.co/GSl7Vkepsd
Many replies from fans suggested that they didn't quite understand what exactly he meant by the tweet.
Borna Coric's 2022 season so far
Borna Coric suffered a serious shoulder injury in May 2021 which resulted in him spending a long time on the sidelines. He finally returned to the court in March this year at the Indian Wells Masters, where he lost against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round. Despite the defeat, he was happy to be back in action.
The Croatian subsequently faced first and second round exits in a number of tournaments, including the French Open, where Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov beat him in the second round in straight sets. At the Wimbledon Championships, his shoulder injury once again surfaced, forcing him to withdraw from the Major before his opening match against Argentina's Diego Schwartzman.
It didn't take him long to return this time and after another first-round exit at the Canadian Open, the 27th-ranked player surprised everyone by winning the Masters 1000 Cincinnati Open in August. On his way to glory, Borna Coric beat the likes of Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Cameron Norrie, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
At the ongoing Vienna Open, the 25-year-old is looking for his fourth title on the tour since turning pro in 2013.