Rafael Nadal made it to the 2024 Bastad Open final against Nuno Borges but lost in two sets. Despite the loss, his overall experience at the tournament was positive. He reached the singles final and the doubles semi-final in this ATP 250 event.
Nadal went to Sweden to see how his tennis was after not playing since Roland Garros. Practicing is one thing, but real matches are different, and he needed those to gauge his level. The 38-year-old played a lot of tennis and mostly performed well.
By the time he got to the final, though, Nadal was exhausted from over six hours of play in previous matches. Facing a young and inspired Borges didn’t help; Borges dominated from start to finish.
Final Match Struggles:
Afterwards, Nadal admitted he played poorly and accepted that reality. He said he couldn’t have played worse but still managed to be competitive for some time. “I have a lot of experience and I knew that things weren’t going to be easy,” Nadal shared with reporters.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rafael Nadal | 38 | 215 | 7 - 5 |
Fans might feel mixed about this news—happy he’s back but concerned about his form.
In the final match, you could see how tired Nadal was; he moved slowly and missed many shots. His unforced errors were over 20 in just 17 games! Serving poorly also let Borges attack aggressively.
Despite feeling drained, Nadal praised Borges as a deserved winner: “Nuno deserved to win, he played much better than me.”
Overall, it was still a good week for Nadal because he tested himself physically and mentally. Now he can focus on preparing for the Olympics where he’s had success before.
What do you think? Can Nadal bounce back stronger?
