Cincinnati Open: World number 152 player knocks out Nadal
The 36-year-old Spaniard was pushed to the limit and beyond in what was his first match since an abdominal tear forced him out of Wimbledon.
Tennis great Rafael Nadal has been knocked out of Cincinnati's Western and Southern Open after going down to Borna Coric in three gruelling sets.
The 36-year-old Spaniard was pushed to the limit and beyond in what was his first match since an abdominal tear forced him out of Wimbledon.
Croatia's Coric, the world no 152 who also withdrew from Wimbledon due to injury, started strong against the world No 3, absorbing Nadal's best shots and returning them in kind.
Both men saved two set points before the 25-year-old claimed first blood in a lengthy tiebreak.
Nadal then rallied in the second, making the most of his lone break point opportunity to force a deciding third set.
However, he was ultimately unable to keep up with his younger opponent in the third, giving up an early break which Coric rode to a 7-6 (9), 4-6, 6-3 victory.
The four-time US Open champion was hoping to rebuild his match sharpness ahead of the upcoming Grand Slam in New York, but he will be unable to do so in Cincinnati.
'With a week-and-a-half to New York, it's sad to not play here,' Nadal said. 'I need to get into Grand Slam mode.
‘I need to practice. I need to return better. I need days. It's better to come back when you've spent a period of time outside and win your first match. I wasn't ready enough to win the match today.
'The big thing is to stay healthy. It's a difficult injury to manage. I need to take it step by step.'
