Rafael Nadal Faces Defeat at the Hands of Borna Coric in Cincinnati Masters

Seems like Rafael Nadal will have to wait a little further for his ideal comeback as he faces a defeat in the Cincinnati Masters. The master player came to the event after a hiatus of over six weeks due to an injury. The injury, apparently an abdominal muscle tear, forced Nadal to retreat his participation in the Wimbledon semi-finals. Nadal was seeded against Australia’s Nick Kygrios who then directly moved to the finals.

Rafael Nadal faced a defeat in the round of 32 delivered to him by the Croatian player Borna Coric. Coric, returning to the court after a prolonged break defeated Nadal in straight sets. The match ended in his favor as he won 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-3 over Nadal.

Rafael Nadal Reflects On His Defeat Against Borna Coric

“Obviously I didn’t play my best match, something that can happen,” Nadal told. “So coming back from a tough period of time, something that’s easy to accept and easy to say congrats to Borna that he played better,” he added. “I need to improve. I need to practise. I need to return better. I need days, and that’s the truth. It’s obvious that I was not ready enough to win the match today. (It) has been a difficult injury to manage. The last month and a half haven’t been easy.”

On the other hand, Coric expressed his ecstasy over defeating Nadal after coming from a two-year-long injury break. “It has been very, very special,” Coric said during his on-court interview afterward. “I was out for the last two years and I didn’t play on the big stage in front of the crowd and everybody. I was honestly just looking forward to playing this match as I haven’t had that in the last two years. Now that I won, it’s kind of crazy,” he said.

Rafael Nadal has a chance of redemption at the US Open where he can look to improve his ATP rankings. Nadal currently holds the 3rd rank in the charts, while Coric rests at 152. “I am positive,” he said. “In terms of practice, I need to start to be in a Grand Slam mode, practicing the way that I need to practice to be competitive since the beginning there, and I hope I will be able to make that happen.”

“I need to move forward and just start to think about the energy that the crowd gives me in New York. I know it’s a very special place for me, and I enjoy it, unforgettable moments there, and I’m going to try my very best every single day to be ready for that,” he added.