Rafa Nadal encountered a hurdle in his preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics on Sunday when he was defeated 6-3, 6-2 in the Swedish Open final by Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges.
The 38-year-old Spaniard, competing in his first title match since his 2022 French Open victory, had his serve broken five times during the one-hour and 27-minute encounter as Borges clinched his first tour final win.
Appearing at the ATP Tour 250 event for the first time since winning the singles title as a 19-year-old in 2005, Nadal was gearing up for his quest for another Olympic medal at the Paris 2024 Games. “Many congratulations to Nuno. You’ve been playing excellently throughout the week, so you deserve this more than anyone else here… Winning a title is always special,” said the 22-times Grand Slam champion.
“I’ve spent the week enjoying this remarkable place. I had a lot of fun on court and played some very long matches. Today wasn’t my best day, but all credit to Nuno. He played exceptionally well, making it very challenging for me, so well done.”
Nadal spent most of 2023 sidelined due to a hip injury. His return earlier this year was hampered by a muscle tear, and subsequent minor physical issues disrupted his French Open preparations, culminating in a first-round defeat. The 14-time French Open champion then opted out of Wimbledon to focus on the Olympic tennis event, which will be held at Roland-Garros from July 27 to August 4. Nadal claimed an Olympic singles gold in Beijing in 2008 and secured a doubles gold in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. He will partner with four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz, 21, in the doubles at Paris 2024.
