Rafael Nadal lost the Swedish Open final in straight sets to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
In Bastad, Borges overcame Nadal 6-3 6-2, finishing the match slamming down an ace before he fell to his knees and buried his hands in his face, a sign of just what the victory meant to Borges.
It was Borges’ first title on the ATP Tour. “I don’t know what to say,” he reflected afterwards.
“I was wishing for this moment for a while already. It’s crazy, tennis doesn’t happen when you expect it sometimes.”
Borges delivered a rock-solid performance against the 22-time Grand Slam winner. He was consistent throughout as he broke Nadal’s serve five times.
Nadal’s first ATP Tour final since 2022 ended in defeat. The Spanish legend was playing in this clay-court event to prepare himself for the Olympic Games at Roland Garros.
The 38-year-old did not enter Wimbledon this year because he did not want to risk injury switching from clay to grass and back again before the Olympics.
Nadal has been recovering from hip and abdominal injuries over the last 18 months.
“I know we all wanted Rafa to win and part of me wished that too,” Borges added. “But something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today, through the emotions, through all the ups and downs.
“Again it wasn’t even about playing my best tennis today. It was about coming up in the big moments where I won it and I couldn’t have played better. Just really happy overall.
“I really don’t know what to say I’m very emotional.”
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