The story of the gravel king's return did not have a happy ending.
Rafael Nadal fell in the Båstad ATP final against Nuno Borges – the Portuguese won in two straight sets with the numbers 6–3, 6–2.
I don't know if I'll come back here to play, probably not, says the 38-year-old Spaniard.
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal is on his farewell tour, but how long it will last, the 38-year-old Spaniard has not yet wanted to reveal.
Båstad is a stop on the way – 19 years after his last visit in 2005 when he won the tournament.
Now Nadal was in a new final in the tennis metropolis on the Bjäre Peninsula in Skåne. The final was his first since he won the Grand Slam tournament French Open in 2022.
There, Nuno Borges was waiting – a 27-year-old Portuguese who was ranked as number 51 in the world and who now played his first ATP final in his career.
The energy tank was empty
Then Nadal's strength gave out. Four hours of play in the semifinal on Friday and over two hours in the semifinal on Saturday left their mark.
It's a shame I played so badly in the final. The thought of energy was empty, that's the reality. But despite that, I should have played much, much better than I did, says the Spaniard at a press conference.
Mentally and physically, I'm not used to playing four days in a row and long matches, he continues.
Borges won the final with 6–3, 6–2.
It's hard to play worse than I did. At the same time, I must praise him. He did many good things. He deserves it more than anyone else who played in this tournament, says Nadal.
Nadal has drawn full stands all week. Even the winner Borges hoped a little that the Spaniard would win.
Yes, but all the others probably wanted it a little more than I did, says the Portuguese and laughs.
Was four years old when Nadal turned pro
It was not exactly a final debut for Nadal. After some injury-plagued years, he has indeed dropped to 260th place on the world ranking, but with 92 ATP titles, including 22 in Grand Slam tournaments, the 38-year-old from Mallorca has dominated world tennis for the past two decades along with Roger Federer (retired in 2022) and Novak Djokovic.
I've grown up watching "Rafa". He turned pro in 2001 – then I was four years old. He turned pro before I knew what tennis was. It meant a lot to just share the court with him, says Nuno Borges.
This was Nadal's fourth visit to Båstad and probably the last.
But I have undoubtedly enjoyed playing here once again, says Rafael Nadal.
The next stop for Nadal is the OS in Paris in a week. The Spaniard has an OS gold in singles (2008) and an OS gold in doubles (2016) previously and now awaits play on Roland Garros clay in the French capital.
Born: June 3, 1986.
Turned pro: 2001.
Grand Slam record: 14 titles in French Open (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022), 4 titles in US Open (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019), 2 titles in Wimbledon (2008, 2010), 2 titles in Australian Open (2009, 2010).
ATP titles total: 92, including 63 on clay.
OS record: Gold in singles 2008, gold in doubles with Marc López 2016. Also participated in singles 2016, but lost the bronze match.
Current: Lost to Portuguese Nuno Borges in the final of the Båstad ATP tournament.
