Rafael Nadal had one of the most impressive weeks over the last few years of his career during the Swedish Open 2024. Playing at Bastad after 19 years, Rafa dominated the clay-court tournament per usual. However, his dream week was put to an end as Nuno Borges defeated the crowd favorite. As the Portuguese clinched a 6-3, 6-2 win, he achieved a feat that got him in the esteemed company of the “Big Four”.
Nuno Borges won his first ATP title by outclassing Rafael Nadal. It took the 27-year-old only 88 minutes to clinch a 6-3, 6-2 victory. With this, Borges joins the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray as the 4th player to defeat Rafa in an ATP clay-court final in straight sets.
Players to beat Rafael Nadal in an ATP clay court final in straight sets:
Roger Federer
Novak Djokovic
Andy Murray
Nuno Borges
— The Big Three (@Big3Tennis) July 21, 2024
In 2009, Federer clinched a double 6-4 win over Nadal in the Madrid Masters. Further, the King of Clay suffered straight-set losses to Djokovic and Murray in 2013 and 2015: – 2-6, 6-7 in the Monte-Carlo Open and 2-6, 3-6 in the Madrid Masters, respectively.
Obviously, Nadal is significantly older and not as physically fit as he once was. However, he didn’t use his deteriorating fitness as an excuse for his first loss in an ATP finals in 2 years.
Nadal congratulates Borges for making the finals “difficult” for him
As expected, Nadal received a warm reception during the trophy presentation ceremony. However, the 22-time Grand Slam winner humbly kept the spotlight off of him and lauded Borges for a commanding display. He even claimed that he had fun on the court and played some good matches, but the final just wasn’t his day.
“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.
Rafa Nadal after losing to Nuno Borges in Bastad final:
“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… pic.twitter.com/qvmz5ZSqGh
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 21, 2024
While Nadal could not lift the title, he’ll certainly gain confidence ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, having clinched some impressive wins over the past week.
The post Nuno Borges Replicates Federer, Djokovic For Outstanding Achievement After Defeating Rafael Nadal in Bastad appeared first on The SportsRush.
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