“He played very well,” Rafael Nadal gives credit where due as he praises Nuno Borges for his dominant victory against him at Bastad Finals

Nuno Borges dominated Rafa Nadal en route to his first ATP title, allowing the Spaniard only five game points throughout the match.

“He played very well,” Rafael Nadal gives credit where due as he praises Nuno Borges for his dominant victory against him at Bastad Finals

Nuno Borges and Rafael Nadal after the men's single final at Bastad.(Image via Imago)

Rafael Nadal‘s unbelievable run at the Swedish Open this year was cut short by Portuguese world no.46 Nuno Borges, who gave the Spanish legend no chance of victory. Rafa went down 3-6, 2-6 in a rather quick match compared to his previous rounds.

Nadal, the 2005 champion at this tournament, fell just short of the title in his first final since the 2022 French Open, possibly due to his compromised fitness after playing a couple of marathon matches to get there. However, he was graceful in defeat as he acknowledged the tremendous level of tennis that was on display by his opponent today. 

YouTube video
Good afternoon everyone. First of all congratulations to Nuno. You played great all week. You deserve it more than anyone else. Enjoy your moment. It’s a special moment winning a title. I wish you all the very best for the rest of the season.
Rafael Nadal said during Bastad Open presentation ceremony

The King of Clay expressed his gratitude for the hospitality and support he received throughout his campaign in Bastad, where he played both singles and doubles. 

FS Video
I have been here during the whole week and a half enjoying this amazing place. I really had fun on court. I played some long and good matches. Today wasn’t my best day. But all credit to Nuno. He played very, very well, and it was difficult for me, so well done.
Rafael Nadal added

Nadal’s focus will now be on the Olympic Games in Paris where he is partnering Carlos Alcaraz to represent Spain in men’s doubles, which will commence on the 27th of this month. 

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Nuno Borges, Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal breaks back into the top 200 less than a year after reaching a career-low ranking

Nadal holds the all-time record for the longest time spent inside the world’s top 10, which he achieved in one stretch of almost 19 years between 2005 and 2023. This unbelievable record was broken last year after a series of injuries kept him off the tour for months. 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)

Owing to this, he could not defend the thousands of ranking points he had earned in 2022, winning two Grand Slam titles, which saw him drop to below 600 on the rankings ladder. This was his lowest ranking in two decades, as his exceptional teenage years had propelled him to glory quicker than most. 

After a difficult couple of years, Rafa found himself scraping through to another ATP Tour level final, which will give him a jump of 100 ranking spots. In the last update, he was ranked 261 in the world but is expected to break back into the top 100 and occupy the 161st spot now.

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