Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has conceded a surprising defeat on his comeback from an abdominal injury.
The 36-year-old Spaniard lost to Croatian Borna Coric 6-7 (9-11), 6-4, 3-6 in the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Mason near Cincinnati. The 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner had not played a match since the beginning of July, when he had to miss his Wimbledon semi-final against Australian Nick Kyrgios due to injury.
Nadal thus did not make a good impression a good week and a half before the start of the US Open, which starts on 29 August in New York. However, the Spaniard at least did not show any physical problems on serve. The movement on his own service had caused him severe pain at the grass classic in London.
“I need to get into Grand Slam mode,” Nadal said, looking ahead to the US Open. “I need practice, I need to return better. I need days.” He was not ready enough to win the match, he said. He had been given a bye in the first round of the hard court tournament as the number two seed.
“The most important thing is to stay healthy. It is a difficult injury. I have to take it step by step,” Nadal said. He had already won the Australian Open and French Open before his exit from the Wimbledon semi-finals this year.
