Borna Coric has spoiled Rafael Nadal’s return to the Cincinnati Masters after sending the 22-time grand slam champion packing in a three-set thriller.
Making his return to the court after a six-week injury layoff, Nadal’s preparations for the US Open were dealt a blow as he succumbed to the Croatian in a 7-6 (9), 4-6, 6-3 defeat.
Nadal – who won this year’s Australian Open and French Open majors to take his career tally to 22 – hadn’t played since July 6 after an abdominal tear forced him to withdraw from the Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios.
The second-seeded Nadal, 36, showed no signs of the injury that mostly plagued his serve.
The majority of the crowd in Cincinnati were understandably in the corner of Nadal, who was playing his first match there in five years.
However, at the conclusion of the 2 hour and 51 minutes tussle – not including an almost 90-minute rain relay in the middle – it was the World No.152 that was soaking in the adulation of the crowd.