12th seed Borna Coric has withdrawn from his US Open clash with Grigor Dimitrov due to an ongoing injury problem.
Coric, who lost to Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth round of the tournament last year, has been forced to pull out due to a lower back strain. It is the second grand slam in a row where the Croat has been forced to withdraw due to injury. He skipped the Wimbledon Championships due to a abdominal problem.
“I am really sad because I had to withdraw from the tournament. The last couple of months were really tough because of the injury I had. For an athlete, the worst thing that can happen is an injury in the middle of the competition.” The 22-year-old wrote on Twitter.
“It is never easy to withdraw but at this moment, my body is telling me to stop and assess the situation. So as hard as this decision is, I think it is smart in the long term. I am looking forward to playing the US Open next year.”
Coric is the sixth player in the top 12 seeds to exit the tournament, but the first due to injury. His withdrawal means that in his section world No.7 Kei Nishikori will play nobody ranked higher than 31st seed Christian Garin until at least the quarter-final stage if he progresses that far.
Capitalising on Coric’s misfortunes is former ATP Finals champion Dimitrov. The Bulgarian is through to the third round at Flushing Meadows for only the third time in his career. He is yet to go beyond the fourth round at the tournament. Dimitrov will play either either Pablo Cuevas or Kamil Majchrzak next.
Coric has achieved a 24-16 win-loss record on the tour so far this season. Reaching the semi-finals of tournaments in Dubai and S-Hertogenbosch.
