Cincinnati R3 preview and prediction: Nadal vs. Coric

August 18, 2016 Ricky Match previews 125

Rafael Nadal and Borna Coric will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Western & Southern Open quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon. They have split their two previous encounters; Coric pulled off a 6-2, 7-6(4) upset on the indoor hard courts of Basel in 2014 before Nadal got the job done 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in round one of last summer’s U.S. Open.

Like he did in Basel, Coric may be facing a less-than-1o0 percent opponent in this one. Nadal, of course, is coming off an energy-sapping week at the Rio Olympics. The fifth-ranked Spaniard played 11 total matches, capturing gold in men’s doubles with Marc Lopez before finishing in fourth place in singles. Three days after losing to Kei Nishikori in the bronze-medal showdown, Nadal won his Cincinnati opener 6-1, 7-6(4) over Pablo Cuevas.

“I think I played well,” the third seed commented. “I think I played a good match against a tough opponent in the first round for me for sure. “After coming from Rio and after the marathon that I had, it’s a very important victory for me. So I’m very happy.”

Coric is through to the last 16 following three-set victories over Benoit Paire and Nick Kyrgios. After overcoming Paire 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, the 19-year-old Croat saved one match point to upset Kyrgios 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(6) on Wednesday night. This marks just the second time in his last nine events in which Coric has won back-to-back matches.
Coric 1
Current form suggests that Kyrgios–the recent Atlanta champion–would have had a better chance against Nadal in this one. More important, though, is the stylistic matchup. Kyrgios is capable of hitting the former world No. 1 off the court, especially amidst the fast conditions of Cincinnati, with his booming serve and huge forehand. Coric, on the other hand, is a counter-puncher who will be content to engage in baseline rallies. Unless Nadal shows more fatigue than he did against Cuevas, that plan will not work for Coric.

Pick: Nadal in 2

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125 Comments on Cincinnati R3 preview and prediction: Nadal vs. Coric

  8. Rafa injured…left arm is being massaged by the physio.,,Lost the first set 6:1…was unable to put his serve in,,,ROS inexistent…18 UEs.,,poor guy is suffering out there..,
    My heart is breaking ..,

    Reply

  18. Coric will now have a winning record against Nadal! The last match he won was in 2014 BASEL when Rafa played with an appendix issue

    Reply

  20. I think it is the wrist…. he is avoiding hitting forehands and unnecessarily going for squashed forehands. And whenever stretched, he makes such poor contact on the forehand side

    Reply

      • damn…

        That’s what happens when you expose yourself to rigorous compeition after sitting out for 2 months! why the hell did his doctor give the green signal and why have they chosen to play here is beyond me. I have been SHOUTING he should skip Cincy

        Reply

        • he played a helluva lot in the olympics after being out for months. very risky. don’t know why he didn’t just get off the court in the first set.

          Reply

  22. I think he just considers that disrespectful so hardly ever does that…

    And Coric is celebrating as if he had to play exceptionally well!!!

    Murray also has pain in his shoulder and he blame change of balls. He said it is so frustrating to play with diff balls.

    Reply

    • Sorry about it, Vmk1.,, ?

      I really think Rafa should have left the court after the first set! He decided to play risking more serious injury! Can’t believe how stubborn he is.
      Now I am worried about USO..,

      Reply

        • Gosh, I do not even want to think about Rafa skipping USO.., it will be the sadest thing after Rafa skipped Wimby in 2009…
          I was always against Rafa playing Olimpics and thought it was too early to put his wrist snd his body under in jeperdy..,but he wanted it so bad… Then I hought his team and his doctor knew what was right thing to do and that it was safe for him to play…I can only hope USO and the rest of the season is not the price Rafa will have to pay for participating in the Olympics..,
          I feel gutted…

          Reply

          • playing Olympics was fine. THIS was stupid!When will he understand?! He only thinks about pulling out when he is ACTUALLY injured! Federer and Djokovic do precautionary pull outs sometimes and that is right.

          • Not sure what would have bern better thing to do: skipping Olympics and playing Cincy or playing Olympics and skipping Cincy but definitely playing both was too much and wrong..,Rafa and his team should have known better..,
            I agree about Fed and Novak! Novak was wise to skip Cincy and will be fresh and healthy for USO…

          • Natashao (AT 8:35 PM),
            The Olympic Games are held every 4 years, the US Open is held every year. The Olympic Games were a huge dream for Rafa for years. Being there & winning a gold medal (!) was a dream come true for him.

            I don’t think that Fed & Djoko are good role models. Both are injured. One of them had to skip the Olymics due to a knee inury, the other lost there early and had to skip the Cincy due to a RECURRENT left wrist injury.

          • (AT 8:11 PM)
            To add to my previous post, let me remind you that Fed injured his knee in January. He pulled out of rest of tennis season in July, i.e. 6 months later. Didn’t his “precautionary measure” come too late ?

          • Natashao (AT 8:08 PM) says:
            “I do not even want to think about Rafa skipping USO.., it will be the sadest thing after Rafa skipped Wimby in 2009…
            I was always against Rafa playing Olimpics…”
            ===
            .
            Skipping the Olympics would have been the saddest thing for Rafa. 🙂

          • I know, but he still did not win the medal! His body was not ready for playing so much and he lost to Nishi..,I think it was the factor against Delpo as well…he could have only played doubles to save his body from exhaustion and possible further injuries…he was not even certain he would play until the last minute..,well, it is over now…no point crying over spilt milk…I just want Rafa to be well and happy…

          • @augusta 10.45,
            TBH I did not think about Fed of late.,,he is 35 years old and his injury kind of comes with his age! In the past he had some wise planning skipping MC or some other minor tourneys in order to be ready for the big ones.,,Nole does it with Qeens, resting before Wimby! In any case I do agree that the comparisons should not be made with Rafa because both Novak and Fed have rarely been sidelined with injuries during their respective careers whereas Rafa has suffered a lot from various injuries and had been away much more than any of the current top 4…

          • Natashao (AT 11:14 PM),
            Rafa won a gold medal in doubles! Fedfans have alway praised Fed for winning a gold in medal in doubles and said it doesn’t matter whether it’s in singles or doubles!
            I hope that from now on you will always say to Fedfans (you have written you meet them regularly) that Rafa has won TWO GOLD medals at Olympics. 🙂

          • Natashao (AT 11:31 PM),
            As for Fed, he has pulled out of many tournaments due to his back problems, only according to Fedfans’ everlasting propaganda it has been ‘wise planning’.

            I know that Djoko doesn’t play grass court tournaments before Wimby, except exhibition tournaments. Rafa needs match practice, that’s why he is playing.

          • I haven’t read any fedfans saying that doubles gold is as good as singles lol.

            Keep wearing the tinfoil lol.

    • Vmk1,

      I know the feeling. I was planning on going to Miami last year and rafa got knocked out early.

      I sure didn’t see this coming!

      Reply

      • Yeah nny. I booked for quarters since i thought raf will last until the quarters at least. Hope to see murray berdych nishikori at least. Am heading to ny too for the quarters and semis. Hopefully rafa will last till that stage

        Reply

        • Vmk1,

          Good luck to you! Now I wonder what will happen with rafa at the USO. He seems to be having additional problems that are related to being out if competition for over two months.

          Then rafa played many hours on the court in a compressed amount of time. I know that the Olympics were a priority for him, but it seems to have come at a price.

          My concern is how will rafa be able to play best of five set matches at the USO if he struggled in only his second best of three set match at Cincy?

          Reply

          • Based on current form and recent history, I doubt Rafa can make it past QF round at USO. A SF would be a good result at this point. Hasn’t made a SF at a slam in over two years sadly.

          • Hawkeye,

            I think your assessment is pretty realistic. I can’t see Rafa having the physical strength in best of five set matches at this point in time. It’s just too soon with the Olympics just over.

  26. I just got home after checking the live score on my phone while I was out.

    What on earth happened? Is Rafa hurt? That scoreline tells me that something was wrong!

    Why did Rafa play if something was wrong?

    Can someone fill me in?

    Reply

  27. From what I am reading trying to catch up, Rafa now has another injury! What on earth!

    So maybe it wasn’t a good idea to play all those matches at the Olympics after being out for over two months.

    I don’t understand how this is happening.

    Reply

  28. I suppose one of the reasons Rafa keeps playing despite injuries and pain is that it is his default state. Not many people realize that the price of using special shoes for his defective foot is constant pain and also stress on other body parts leading eventually to their breakdown. He has been playing all these years with injuries and pain and was still able to do well. So he is used to ignoring injuries, even those not related to his special shoes/foot as long as they do not significantly impact his performance. But maybe now his body is too battered or old to recover quickly or to hold up long enough. If he waited for 100%, he would probably wait forever as something or the other is constantly affected. In the last few years, he has been missing big portions of the seasons. I suppose the choice is between playing safe and not risking breakdown injury but not winning anything significant or testing his limits and risking breakdown but having a chance to win big prizes. Anyway, we have to trust Rafa to choose the optimum solution given his constraints.

    Reply

    • Thanks augusta! That’s what I was saying the whole time. Left arm it is…what type of injury and how serious it is we will find out from Rafa…

      Reply

  30. Tumaini Carayol ‏(a Freelance tennis writer) 27 minutes ago: ¤¤ Nadal on his condition: “Too tired; elbow, shoulder. Two months & a half without competing and especially without practicing [..] Too much.”¤¤

    Tumaini Carayol 20 minutes ago: ¤¤ Nadal made it clear that his problem wasn’t his wrist. Simply everything else was sore due to playing so much after playing so little.¤¤

    It’s a relief! 🙂

    Reply

      • Thanks for the link. Seems Rafa thinks he’s just tired and sore from too much tennis. Why did he keep playing? Because he’s a crazy man on court. Isn’t that why we love him?

        Skip Olympics? Was not going to happen. If you’d promised Rafa the Olympics but he would not be able to play for the rest of the year, I think he’d have jumped at it. It wasn’t about this year or next year or his career record or winning the USO or the YEC. It was about making memories for the rest of his life.

        Reply

        • Ramara (AT 9:35 PM) says:
          “If you’d promised Rafa the Olympics but he would not be able to play for the rest of the year, I think he’d have jumped at it…”
          ===
          .
          I agree. 🙂 He was devastated to miss the Olympics in 2012!

          Reply

          • Yeah, but he already had gold in singles! He got one in doubles! Thst’s great enough! Why then put his body under pressure and risk yet anothet injury playing singles? Well, that is our Rafa…he is special in many ways…but I really had hopes for Rafa in USO…I still do…

            When Rafa lost to Delpo I was so sad.,, s friend of mine commented how Rafa had a gold medal already thus no reason to despair.,.I was sad for Rafa because he wanted it so much…for me one gold in singles was more than enough for writting history.,,I would rather see Rafa win USO this year, but that’s me…Rafa sees the Olympics differently and was willing to make big sacrifices..,that is why I admire him so much!

          • Natashao (AT 11:57 PM) says:
            “…for me one gold in singles was more than enough for writting history…”
            ===
            .
            It was not enought for Fedfans, who had always written than Fed had more Olympic medals than Rafa – gold in doubles and silver in singles. Rafa let his racket do the talking in Rio and silenced them. 🙂

          • @augusta 11:57,
            Never thought about it this way ? Well two gold medals will certainly silence them.., ?❤️

          • Natashao (AT 9:42 AM),
            Fedfans have always said that Olympic medals in individual and team events are equal. For example, they say that there is no difference between being a gold medalist in basketball and being it in doubles tennis.
            It’s time for Rafans to agree with them! 🙂
            .
            (Just to clarify, the Grandstand is not the only site I have read.)

          • Natashao (AT 9:42 AM),
            To add to my comment AT 10:31 AM, swimmer Phelps is a great example of putting together all the gold medals (individual & team) he has won! I saw it on the Internet.
            Rafans should use this example from now on. 🙂

          • How they are perceived as an OLYMPIC achievement, not as a TENNIS achievement lol.

            And still nothing to say they are fedfans.

            But at least you have databases for friends.

            Fail harder My fan.

  31. And add the fact that the balls here are totally different and the arm/shoulder was bound to get sore. Murray also has shoulder soreness. Thank God the wrist is fine. Now rest, and be ready for USO. The level of play is there, the body needs recuperation.

    Reply

    • Agree with VR. The level of play was there, its a matter of exhaustion, both physically and mentally.

      I think if Rafa can recover most of his energy next week, he should be fine for the USO. Coric is always so fortunate to catch Rafa at the right time, I’m sure a well rested Rafa will beat Coric anytime they meet.

      Reply

  32. Jonathan Newman (a journalist) ‏1 hour ago:
    ¤¤ Rafa says he has a little bit of pain everywhere but nothing too serious. Bottom line for him is rest, unconcerned a/b readiness for US Open ¤¤
    ¤¤ Rafa says he needs to recover emotionally, physically & will probably take a few days off of practice. ¤¤
    ¤¤ Rafa also said whatever new discomfort he felt today was unrelated to the wrist; it hasn’t gotten worse. ¤¤

    https://twitter.com/SportScribeCA/status/766370632422465536
    https://twitter.com/SportScribeCA/status/766370628798517248
    https://twitter.com/SportScribeCA/status/766372690630365184

    Reply

    • My comment AT 9:58 PM is awaiting moderation, because I posted too many links.
      I repeat it in Reply without links.
      .
      Jonathan Newman (a journalist) ‏1 hour ago:
      ¤¤ Rafa says he has a little bit of pain everywhere but nothing too serious. Bottom line for him is rest, unconcerned a/b readiness for US Open ¤¤
      ¤¤ Rafa says he needs to recover emotionally, physically & will probably take a few days off of practice. ¤¤
      ¤¤ Rafa also said whatever new discomfort he felt today was unrelated to the wrist; it hasn’t gotten worse. ¤¤

      Reply

    • I think rafa did the right thing in playing the Olympics and I am not about to second guess him. That was a dream for him and it only happens once every four years. We don’t know if this will be his last Olympics. But he wanted to be there.

      I am glad that Rafa said that he needs to play. The wrist isn’t going to get stronger and neither is his body if he just sits around doing nothing. There are ups and downs when coming back from any injury.

      Today Rafa was feeling the effects of not having played enough on his body. Whether he should have gone out there and played, well, I don’t want to question him. Rafa has his team and his doctor looking out for him.

      These are tough choices as to whether to play or not. I don’t know that it’s about right or wrong. Rafa apparently thought he could play at Cincy to get more match play before the USO. It didn’t work out for him.

      There is a big difference between where Murray is at right now and Rafa. Murray has been playing all along. He’s fit and match ready and on s winning streak right now. So if he has some shoulder issue because of the different balls, then it won’t cost him a match. He got treatment last night during the match and was able to win. It’s easier to roll with it when you have been playing and your body is strong and fit enough to deal with the little niggles and pains that come along.

      As long as the wrist is okay, that is the most important thing.

      Reply

  34. Rafa being a dumbass and over-playing again. No surprise. Never learns.
    Back to beach volleyball. Awesome win by Laura Ludwig for Germany. China swept all gold in table tennis.

    Reply

  35. “I came here, I tried. I tried to do the right things to be ready, but it was obvious that I was not ready today,” Nadal said.

    “I felt tired in the arm, elbow, shoulder. Two months and a half without competing, and especially without practising, and then do what I did in the Olympics, come here, different balls, too much,” said the Spaniard.

    “But having the Olympics there I didn’t have that chance. Now I pay for that. It was a little bit too much, my body hit the limit after the finish of Rio.”

    Reply

    • Rafa not dumb. He needs the matches to stay in competitive mode and needs the points too.

      He’s just exhausted, not doing any harm to himself.

      Reply

      • Rafa admitted that Rio took it out of him. But we know that he wanted to play. He had many hours on the court after not playing for over two months.

        Rafa said he tried, but was not ready. That’s all he can do us try to play and if he can’t, then he can’t. That is why it’s so frustrating when he gets injured. Being 30 thirty years old now, the body doesn’t recover as quickly.

        I don’t know what to expect at the USO. It’s best of five set matches and that will be a challenge. If Rafa only had a bit more time to get ha strength back.

        Reply

    • Not in the same class? You only know Carl Lewis as a sprinter?? Do you know he’s better in long jump, perhaps the GOAT in long jump? Well I’m not sure Bolt could jump as far as Carl Lewis did! Talking about not in the same class!

      Reply

      • Winning long jump 4 times is like winning Halle 8 times. So what? Not significant. Nobody even watches or covers long jump. 100 and 200 is where the money’s at. If you want to bring up other stuff then pick a decathlete.

        Reply

        • Nobody watched long jumps? Not when Carl Lewis was jumping. Also, Carl managed to run and jump, he’s a more diversed talent. He won four Gold in a single Olympics, how many track and field Olympian could do that?

          You talked about decathlete, sure they are great in their own ways but has/had anyone of them being as dominant over four Olympics?

          Reply

        • You truly missed the point! Just find out what accolates Carl Lewis received for his sporting achievements, and you’re here belittling his achievements!

          Reply

        • Saying that long jump is like winning Halle is so absurd that it would be funny if it wasn’t so insulting! He can the records in long jump set by Carl Lewis mean so little when they have stood the test of time!

          It’s a shame that anyone would presume to demean what Lewis did.

          Reply

          • He tested positive for peds in US Olympic trials before 1988 but cheating Americans ignored it and let him compete. Typical.

  39. Cannot compare sprinters across different generations. But it is great watching Bolt sprint. He seems to run with more to spare, a suggestion of untapped power.

    Reply

  40. I have decided I am not going to worry hereafter about Rafa’s injuries. He will play when he plays, he will withdraw, retire or take the season off when he cannot play. Doctors are not Gods. They can advise but the athlete makes the call. Rafa is 30. His body is battered. Whatever he wins hereafter is bonus. I am hoping he will win the French Open next year. It is two years since Rafa won anything significant. He is aware that he is not getting younger and he is going to take more risks. All of us seem to be constantly wanting him to rest but that’s not going to happen. He still has some dreams and a limited time in which to achieve them.

    Reply

    • I tend to agree but it’s easily said than done..,I don’t really know how to switch to that ‘careless mode’. The minute Rafa steps on the court I want him to walk over his opponents like he used to..,I get devastated when he loses, even more when he gets injured…I still have hopes for him to win at least two more GSs. And I am afraid as long as Rafa plays I will not give up hoping.,,which means big dissapointment every time he fails…?

      Reply

  41. I was fortunate to see the great Carl Lewis. There was nobody else like him back then. True greatness.

    It is hard to compare athletes across the generations as we try to do in tennis. I just celebrate the greats in each era. We are fortunate to be able to see them compete.

    Reply

    • Exactly NNY. How easily we crown someone as greatest now but forget what greatness we had in the past.

      Carl Lewis not just run but also did long jumps and he was more impressive in his long jumps than in his runs.

      We talk about athletes as if they only run but forget that there are also others who do the field events like long jumps, high jumps or pole vault for examples.

      Reply

      • Lucky,

        Thanks so much for your response! Needless to say, I am in complete agreement with you! ?

        I appreciate you bringing up Carl Lewis also being a great long jumper!

        We cannot forget those who came before and set the bar so high for those who followed!

        Reply

          • Lost what? He didnt lose in long jump! In fact he had been winning in long jumps for a decade with a long winning streak! His records still stand and he won his last gold in long jump.at age 35! Im not sure Bolt would still be winning at age 35!

          • Lucky is right. The true test of greatness is if an athlete’s record stand the test of time. Lewis has records that have stood the test of time. No one can take that away from him.

            It’s too bad that some can only see what is rght in front of them abd don’t respect those who have come before. There is no need to dismiss Carl Lewis because of what Usain Bolt did.

          • Bolt won the triple (100 200 and 4 × 100) 3 times. Carl roid Lewis only did it once in 1984 when USSR boycotted. No comparison.

  42. Bolt only lost 1 time in the Olympics. When he went injured as a 17 year old in 2004. Undefeated since. Carl Lewis was never close to this level of dominance. He plans on this being his last Olympics. There is something to be said about going out on top.

    Reply

    • We are talking about greatness not just in running or sprinting. Bolt only runs whilst Carl Lewis runs and jumps!

      Carl Lewis managed to win 4 consecutive long jump Olympic Gold medals, how many can do that? Also, he’s still the record holder of indoor long jump record, which is really impressive considering many years have past and that record still stands.

      Reply

  44. Speaking of greatest athletes Ashley Eaton, who just won his 2nd gold for the decathlon – those guys used to be considered the best athletes since they compete in a variety of athletic disciplines – said he considered tennis to be the next most demanding sport. I read it on Tennis.com, which took it from Inside Business (or something like that). Eaton said that people underestimate the mental part of sport and he considered tennis one of the most demanding both physically and mentally. Probably true these days, although I would never have listed John McEnroe among greatest athletes. 🙂

    Reply

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