Nordea Open 2024: Rafael Nadal Loses Out To Nuno Borges In Final, Wait For Title Continues

Rafael Nadal's title drought, which began after his French Open 2022 victory, persisted following a straight-sets defeat to Nuno Borges in the Nordea Open final in Bastad, Sweden, on Sunday. Seventh-seeded Portuguese player Borges overcame the 22-time Major champion Nadal, who had received a wildcard entry, with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in a match lasting an hour and 27 minutes.

World No. 51 Borges broke Nadal's serve five times to secure his first Tour-level title. He is now the second Portuguese man to win a trophy on the ATP Tour, following Joao Sousa.

For the 38-year-old Nadal, this was his first final since clinching his record-extending 14th title at Roland-Garros two years ago. The Spanish star missed nearly the entire 2023 season due to a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open.

“I don’t know what to say. I think I was wishing for this moment for a while already,” said Borges in his post-match interview. (End Of An Era? Novak Djokovic Loses Wimbledon Final To Carlos Alcaraz)

“It’s crazy, in tennis it doesn’t happen when you expect it sometimes. I know we all wanted Rafa to win, a part of me wished that too, but something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today. Through all the emotions, through all the ups and downs,” added the 27-year-old Portuguese who became just the fifth man in history to beat the Spaniard in a clay-court final on the ATP Tour after Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Horacio Zeballos and Andy Murray.

“Many congratulations to Nuno,” said Nadal at the trophy ceremony. “You’ve been playing great during the whole week, so you deserve it more than anyone else here. Congratulations and enjoy your moment, it’s always special winning a title. I wish you all the very best for the rest of the season.

“I have been here for the week enjoying this amazing place. I really had fun on court, played some very long matches. Today wasn’t my best day, but all the credit to Nuno. He played very well and it was so difficult for me, so well done.”

The Spanish tennis legend reached the finals of the ongoing Nordea Open on Saturday with a win over Duje Ajdukovic in a hard-fought semifinal clash, making it his first-ever title clash in over two years.

Nadal beat Ajdukovic in a two-hour, 13 minute affair by 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, as per the ATP's official website. He reached his first tour-level championship match since the 2022 French Open final, where he beat Casper Ruud to win his 14th title in Paris.

Having beaten Mariano Navone in a four-hour marathon on Friday, Nadal needed some recovery and preparation time for his maiden ATP head-to-head clash against the Croatian. After dropping the first set and the serve in the opening game of the second set, Nadal went on a rampage, breaking Ajdukovic's serve five times across set two and three to secure the win.

Speaking after the final, Nadal said, as quoted by ATP's website, "I think it was a tough match. My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against. He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back. It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that is great news and I'm very happy with that."

Nadal sealed the win despite letting go off a double-break lead in the decider set. Nadal was more consistent than his match against Navone, especially in his return, as he managed to convert all six break points he earned against Adjukovic.

Nadal said that it is a great feeling to be back playing in a final after two years of battling injuries. (Who Is Wimbledon 2024 Champion Carlos Alcaraz's Girlfriend Maria Gonzalez Gimenez - In Pics)

"Always, it is a great feeling to be back in a final. I have won four matches in a row, something I have not been able to make happen since two years ago. A lot of things happened, but still, in this process of recovering, a lot of things I lost because I had a very important hip surgery almost one year ago," said Nadal.

"So things were not going that easy, but I am fighting. I am fighting during the whole tournament to be where I am today, and I think matches like yesterday's, like today's, help to improve a lot of things on court. I am happy with that, and let us see if I am able to play a little bit better tomorrow," he concluded. (With ANI Inputs)