It can’t be. The Portuguese Nuno Borges, number 51 in the world ranking, is too tough a rival for Rafa Nadal (38 years old and 261 in the world) already paid for the extra fatigue accumulated during the week and unable to compete in the final of the ATP 250 in Bastad (Sweden), his first since Roland Garros 20222, where Beating him resoundingly 6-3 and 6-2.
Despite this defeat, that prevented him from repeating the title achieved 19 years ago (2005) in BastadNadal left the Swedish lands with his main goal accomplished: accumulate minutes and sensations for the next goal of the Balearic Islands, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games which begins next week on the courts that Nadal knows best, that of Roland Garros.
As for the final, little story. As usual this week, The beginning of the match was marked by service breaks: up to five consecutive breaks in the first six games. In fact, Nadal lost his first three serves and that was a huge burden for the Balearic Islands, who ended up losing 6-3.
The second round began with a completely different dynamic and, indeed, the first break was not seen until the fifth gamewhen Borges made the score 3-2 and laid the first stone to cement his final victory.
And if that wasn’t enoughthe Portuguese again broke Nadal’s next serve (5-2) and closed the match with a significant ‘ace’ (6-2).
So Borges, at 27 years old, achieved his first ATP title (in his first final) of his career and left Nadal unable to extend his extraordinary record of victoriesbut there is a very good feeling (perhaps wanting a medal?) before the Olympics in Paris.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
