‘It has been a difficult injury' - Rafael Nadal loses to Borna Coric on return to tennis at Cincinnati Masters

Rafael Nadal admits he wasn’t back to full fitness as he was beaten by Borna Coric in a pulsating second round match at the Cincinnati Masters on his return to tennis. Nadal was playing his first competitive match since withdrawing from his semi-final with Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon six weeks ago after suffering a 7mm tear to his abdominal muscle. Ad He had a chance to become world No.

1 if he won this week’s tournament in Cincinnati, but Coric was victorious with a 7-6(9) 4-6 6-3 win. US OpenWhen is the US Open? How to watch tournament and who is playingYESTERDAY AT 10:27 «You lose, you move forward. I know the way,» Nadal said.

«The main thing for me is to stay healthy. It has been a difficult injury to manage, to be honest. »The last month and a half hasn't been easy, because having a tear on the abdominal, you don't know when [you are] 100% over the thing.

“That affects a little bit in terms of not [being] sure if you are able to try your best in every serve.” Nadal’s early exit raises questions about whether he can win the US Open for a fifth time and extend his lead in the ‘GOAT race’ as he currently sits on 22 Grand Slams, to Novak Djokovic’s 21 and Roger Federer’s 20. The 36-year-old revealed he has played just two sets of tennis prior to his match with Coric and will have more time to prepare for the US Open, which takes place from August 29 to September 11. «In terms of New York, it's a Grand Slam, a different kind of tournament,» said Nadal.