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Will Rafael Nadal Be a Factor at 2016 US Open After Crushing Defeats?
- Updated: August 19, 2016
Rafael Nadal’s early success at the 2016 Olympic Games has left the Spanish superstar depleted and broken down following an embarrassing 6-1, 6-3 defeat to talented teenager Borna Coric in the third round at Cincinnati’s Western & Southern Open.
With Father Time beating away at Nadal’s body, the 14-time major winner hardly looks like the No. 5-ranked player in the world. The biggest question is if he can recuperate physically and mentally to be a factor at the U.S. Open.
What does the 30-year-old need to contend in the year’s final major that begins before August fades away? Does he have enough left to play great tennis through two grinding weeks?
Coric Torching
Never mind that Nadal was trailing 6-1, 4-0 before rallying to lose the second set 6-3, those who watched the match could see a clear difference in movement and energy.
While Coric raced to set up nearly every ball, Nadal could scarcely cover the corners. By the end of the match, the Croatian produced 18 winners, the Spaniard nine. Coric had 11 unforced errors, Nadal 29. And the former world No. 1 won only 13 percent of his second serves.
Tennis TV summarized the ugly box score:
The numbers from that Coric-Nadal R3 @CincyTennis meet. #ATP pic.twitter.com/XdjPX861kG
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) August 18, 2016
The Spaniard used to outrun everyone on tour, and his legs were often the difference in tracking down Roger Federer’s offensive array a decade ago when they vied for supremacy in seemingly every major.
While it’s true that Nadal is coming off a severe wrist injury, his Olympic workload of playing 11 combined singles and doubles matches in one week was too much to bounce back with a strong run in Cincinnati.
Over the weekend, he was overpowered by Juan Martin del Potro in the Olympic semifinals and outhustled by Kei Nishikori in the bronze-medal match.
After flying to the upper United States, Nadal was playing on fumes to get by Pablo Cuevas before Coric ran circles around him with an …
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