New Delhi, India

Rafael Nadal made his way back to the Western & Southern Open for the first time in five years and, with his short stint in the tournament, he reminded fans why waiting for the 2013 champion's return for so long was time well spent. However, the World No. 12 Borna Coric was his undoing as he was forced to bow out of the ATP Masters 1000 event after a gruelling battle that lasted nearly three hours.

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ALSO READ: Borna Coric ends his idol Rafael Nadal's run at the Cincinnati Open in a shock upset

Featuring in his first match after he was forced to pull out of the Wimbledon semi-finals against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal tear, the Spaniard succumbed to a 7-6(9), 4-6, 6-3 loss at the hands of the Croatian as he struggled with consistency, which carried him to four tour-level titles this season. 

Although an issue forced the 36-year-old to pull out of last week's ATP Masters event in Montreal, it did not prove to be an issue against Coric. In turn, he attributed his loss to a severe lack of court time. Furthermore, in the aftermath of tumbling out of the Cincinnati Open, Nadal admitted that he is determined to put on a better show at the forthcoming US Open.

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"I need to move forward and just start to think about the energy that the crowd gives me in New York," he said. "I know it's a very special place for me, and I enjoy it. [I've had] unforgettable moments there, and I'm going to try my very best every single day to be ready for that."

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Nadal has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success at Flushing Meadows, walking away with the title on four different occasions, with his latest title coming in 2019. He will hope to replicate his success at the US Open as he prepares to take his tally up to five. The US Open action is set to unfold from August 29th.