BASTAD.- The winning streak of Rafael Nadal on the clay of the Nordea Open ended on Sunday when the Spaniard lost the final 6-3, 6-2 to Nuno Borges.
The Portuguese seventh seed broke Nadal’s serve five times before sealing his first ATP Tour title. This was Nadal’s first final since the 2022 French Open.
“It’s crazy, in tennis it doesn’t happen sometimes when you expect it,” Borges said. “I know we all wanted Rafa to win, a part of me did too, but something even bigger inside me really pushed me through the day.”
Nadal played in Sweden for the first time since winning the title at the age of 19 in 2005 as a preparation for the Olympic competition at Roland Garros.
The 38-year-old Spaniard decided to skip Wimbledon because he did not want to switch from grass to clay to avoid injury. He has been dealing with hip problems and abdominal injuries for a year and a half.
Now, the veteran is getting ready to represent Spain once again at the Olympic Games. Paris 2024.
Win the Tour de France:
Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France for the third time and celebrated in style after winning Sunday’s final stage – the time trial that ended in Nice.
The 25-year-old Slovenian became the first cyclist to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour in the same year since the late Marco Pantani in 1998.
Two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark was second overall, after he finished second on the final stage.
Pogacar won the 34-kilometre time trial on the streets of the French Riviera from Monaco to Nice in 45 minutes and 24 seconds. Vingegaard was one minute and three seconds behind him, with Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel 1:14 behind in third place.
Source: With information from AP
