After being eliminated from the Cincinnati tournament by Croatian player Borna Coric, Rafael Nadal expressed his sadness triggered by having to leave so soon but also left a hopeful message for next year. Thank you Cincinnati for everything.

Sad to leave soon. Hope to see you all next year! Rafael Nadal wrote on Instagram.

The fact that Nadal looks forward to the next years Cincinnati tournament shows that he looks forward to still being competitive in the ATP tour.

This motivation can help him surpass one of Roger Federers age-related records. Related: Rafael Nadal likely to surpass Federer age-related record if he wins US Open Federer is the oldest number one in ATP Tour history because he held the position when he was 36 years and 10 months old.

Yet, if he wins at US Open, Rafael Nadal can increase his chances of stealing this record from Federer. Nevertheless, to achieve the feat, Rafael Nadal needs to be number one beginning with May 2023 because only then the Spaniard will be 36 years and 11 months old.

With him being kicked out of Cincinnati in the first round, its unsure whether Nadal will be in the best shape to win a Grand Slam. The Spaniard experienced an early Cincinnati loss after returning from an abdominal injury, leaving Ohio with no points.

Rafa experienced a 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Borna Coric in two hours and 51 minutes for his second consecutive defeat at this event following the 2017 quarter-final. Nadal, however, knew that he was going to have a hard time at Cincinnati.

"At the beginning it will be complicated, but it is normal, we have to accept the difficulties. At these levels if you come back after a rather long period of time and an injury it is not always easy to find the rhythm. The level is very high and I hope to be ready for Wednesday," said Nadal.

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Rafael Nadal sends hopeful message on retirement ahead of US Open - Tennis World USA