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Second seed Rafael Nadal will open his campaign at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday against World No. 152 Borna Coric.
This will be the World No. 3's first match since withdrawing from his Wimbledon semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios in July due to an abdominal tear. The walkover also ended the Spaniard's quest to add a third consecutive Slam title and a chance for a calendar Grand Slam. The former World No. 1 won the Australian Open and the French Open earlier this year.
Nadal was originally scheduled to make his return at the Montreal Masters last week, but he opted for more time to rest and recover. This will be the former World No. 1's first appearance in Cincinnati since 2017, where he lost to Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinal.
Where is Rafael Nadal playing?
Nadal is playing in the final ATP Masters 1000 event ahead of the US Open. The combined men's and women's tournament will give players a lasting opportunity to spruce up their games before heading to Flushing Meadows later this month.
Started in 1899 at the Avondale Athletic Club on clay, the Western & Southern Open has grown into one of the most prestigious tournaments on the tennis calendar. Having switched venues multiple times, the event finally settled in Mason in 1979 when it permanently became a hardcourt tournament.
The men's and women's events are being held simultaneously in the same week since 2011, when the tournament name was changed to the Western & Southern Open. The Lindner Family Tennis Center, located in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, currently hosts the event.
Roger Federer remains the most successful male player in Cincinnati, having lifted the trophy seven times. Rafael Nadal tasted glory only once, in 2013, before going on to win his second US Open title just a couple of weeks later.
Who is Rafael Nadal playing against?
Former junior World No. 1 Borna Coric has two titles under his belt on the senior circuit, the latest of which came at Halle in 2018 with a win over Roger Federer in the final.
That same year, the Croat broke into the world's top 15, peaking at No. 12, which remains his highest ranking till date.
As far as the Slams are concerned, the 25-year-old's best showing was at the 2020 US Open, where he made the quarterfinals.
Coric's last few seasons have been injury-plagued, affecting his form and ranking. Having undergone shoulder surgery in 2021, the Croat is now looking to make his way back to the top echelons of the sport again.
Coric's best performance of the season came on the ATP Challenger tour, where he emerged victorious at Montechiarugolo-Parma. On the ATP tour, he reached the last eight on the claycourt of Hamburg just last month.
The World No. 152 began his Cincinnati campaign with a 7-6(2), 6-3 win over Hamburg champion Lorenzo Musetti on Tuesday. He will now hope to draw confidence from this win as he takes on Nadal on Wednesday.
Coric and Nadal are tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head. Their only other Cincinnati meeting ended in a 6-1, 6-3 win in favor of the Croat in 2016. The Spaniard, however, exacted revenge the very next year in Canada with a 6-1, 6-2 win in what remains their last face-off.
Rafael Nadal vs Borna Coric match schedule
Nadal and Coric are scheduled to play the fourth match on Center Court on Wednesday.
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 11 pm GMT, 4:30 am IST
Date: August 17, 2022.
Rafael Nadal vs Borna Coric streaming details
Viewers from the following countries can watch Nadal take on Coric live on the respective channels and sites:
Amazon Prime Video - United Kingdom, Ireland.
beIN SPORTS - Australia.
beIN SPORTS - Middle East.
beIN SPORTS - Singapore.
Eurosport - Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, France, Russia.
Sky Deutschland - Germany, Austria, Switzerland.
Sky Italia - Italy.
Telefonica/Movistar - Spain.
Tennis Channel & Bally Sports RSN - USA.
TSN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports - Canada.
Voot and Sports18 - India.
Latin America - ESPN.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
