Coric and Konjuh pay tribute to former coach Kristijan Schneider

The former coach of Borna Coric and Ana Konjuh has passed away after a difficult battle with cancer

Borna Coric with his former coach Kristijan Schneider Image Credit: Coric Facebook

April 27, 2022

Borna Coric and Ana Konjuh have paid tribute to former coach Kristijan Schneider, who passed away at the age of 41. Schneider, a father of four, who had worked with Coric, Konjuh and Olga Danilovic, lost his battle with cancer.

The Croatian Tennis Association announced his death in a statement, “Sad news for the tennis family: Kristijan Schneider has died after a serious illness. One of our most famous coaches, the favorite Kiki everywhere, lost the hardest battle against a vicious disease. He was the coach of many tennis stars, such as Borna Coric and Ana Konjuh, recently participated in winning the junior Australian Open Petra Marcinko, and also worked with Bernard Pero, Olga Danilovic… Unfortunately, Kiki’s life ended prematurely, at the age of 41. Kiki, thank you for everything you gave to tennis and was what you are. We express our deepest condolences to the family.”

Schneider was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2019 while he was working with Coric. After taking a break and his cancer going into remission, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer two years later.

Coric and Konjuh pay tribute to Kristijan Schneider

25-year-old Coric, who knew Schneider since his early teens, said he was blessed to have such a friend in his life. “Rest in peace my friend and my coach. I was blessed to have you in my life,” Coric captioned his Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Borna Coric (@bornacoric)

24-year-old Konjuh, a former world No 20 who is currently ranked No 66 in the world, said, “I’m lost for words. Until we meet again, save me a hug up there. Rest in peace Kiki.”