One of the most anticipated first round matches at the US Open will be the Monday showdown between 9-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal and teenage sensation Borna Coric.
The match will be the second encounter between the two players. Their first meeting was in the quarterfinals of the 2014 ATP Swiss Indoors, where Coric stunned Nadal to claim the first top ten scalp in his career at the age of 17. The Croat described the victory as ‘an unbelievable feeling’ as his winning streak at the Swiss tournament elevated him into the top 100 for the first time in his career. Coric was the youngest player in the top 100 in 2014 since Rafael Nadal.
Coric has the game to beat Nadal, however, their upcoming encounter in Flushing Meadows will be very different. The second part of the 2014 season was troublesome for Nadal, who suffered from appendicitis as well as a wrist injury in the build-up to Basel. At the time Nadal openly admitted that he experienced a great amount of difficulty.
”Every day I felt more tired, I tried to practice, to get fit but it was not possible. The past four, five months have been very tough for me. It’s been difficult to play and compete.”. Nadal admitted.
Despite Nadal’s injury woes, Coric does possess the game to cause trouble for any player ranked inside the top ten. Nadal might of been in poor form last year, but it is questionable if he would of beaten him if he was on form. The 2013 US Open Boys’ champion has been described by many as one of the key players when the era of the ‘big 4’ finally ends. On the other hand Coric still has a couple more years to go before he reaches his full potential and he is yet to win an ATP title.
Looking ahead to his match against the two-time US Open champion, a reflective Coric told USA Today reporter Nick McCarvel that he has “nothing to lose” and said “Some people play 10 years for this one moment.”.
The 2015 season
Reflecting on both players’ current season, Coric will go into the match as the weaker of the two. Nadal has produced a win-loss of 41-14 this year, claiming three ATP titles. Meanwhile Coric is currently at 20-21 with no ATP titles. Despite this difference, in regards to wins over top 10 players Coric almost matches Nadal. Due to a roller-coaster season, with Nadal briefly dropping to his lowest ranking since 2005, he has only beaten two top 10 players in 2015 (David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych) compared to Coric’s one (Andy Murray).
The Croat will be aware that Nadal will be eager to redeem himself on the main stage of tennis following his second round exit at Wimbledon. If the 18-year-old is able to reach the top of his game and has the belief. There is a strong possibility that he could become the first man in history to knock Rafael Nadal out of the first round of the US Open.
The first round match between Borna Coric and Rafael Nadal will commence on Monday at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. They are the second match in the night session.
