In the Bastad final, Nadal won five games and lost in straight sets to Nuno Borges.
Rafael Nadal may have fallen short in his effort to win his first victory since the 2022 French Open, but that did not prevent him from sending a very nice message hours after the Bastad final, honoring Nuno Borges’ wonderful day.
On Sunday, Nadal, 38, played his first final after recovering from hip surgery. Unfortunately for Nadal and his supporters, his deep Bastad run did not stop with the trophy, as 27-year-old Borges shocked the former world No. 1 6-3, 6-2 to win his maiden ATP title.
After giving Borges credit on the court and congratulated him on becoming an ATP champion, Nadal took some time to think on his week in Bastad and decided to share something with his fans.
“Congratulations to Nuno on his first ATP Tour title. Very well deserved, and a unique occasion for him. Best wishes for the remainder of the year and your work, which, as he mentioned, is more important than ever. It was amazing to be in a final again. “It was great to be back in Båstad,” said Nadal on Instagram.
Nadal didn’t have the strength for another victory.
After spending over six hours on the court during his quarterfinal and semifinal matches, Nadal did not seem fresh when he returned to the court for the third day in a row.
Nadal was broken twice early in the final, but he recovered both times. However, Nadal’s problems persisted, and after Borges broke him again for a 4-2 lead, the Portuguese held on to his serve for the remainder of the set to win the opener.
After losing the first set, Nadal was on the edge of conceding an early second-set break, but he saved a break point in the first game and went ahead 2-1 after three games.
But Borges stayed calm, kept challenging Nadal, and routinely took the second set after collecting back-to-back breaks and winning the final five games of the match to secure his amazing victory.
Nadal will now turn his attention to the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26.