Rafael Nadal has put the blame on excessive exertion for his premature exit from the ongoing Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The third-seeded Nadal looked hapless en route a 6-1 6-3 thrashing from 19-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia in the third-round encounter on Thursday. But, the Spaniard insists that it was all a consequence of a hectic schedule.

“[I’m] too tired; elbow, shoulder. Two and a half months without competing and especially without practicing, and to do what I did in the Olympics and come here – [it’s] too much,” Nadal was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

The 30-year-old ended a two-and-a-half-month hiatus from injury at the recently-concluded Rio Olympics, where he went on to clinch the men’s doubles gold before being edged out in the bronze medal play-off of the singles event. However, the decision of committing to Cincinnati seems to have taken a toll on his fitness.

The tiredness was evident from the fact that Nadal, unusually, committed five double faults and could manage to win just two out of 16 second-serve points throughout his 72-minute struggle against the unseeded Coric.

No wonder, he’s got some mountainous task ahead to get back in shape before the US Open kicks-off on August 29.