At the 2024 Nordea Open, Rafael Nadal remembered asking Bjorn Borg to offer his son Leo Borg some advice for his first-round match against the Spaniard to make things tough. Nadal defeated the young Swedish 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and twenty-five minutes to have an incredible start to his campaign.
The 38-year-old’s injuries have caused him to take a break from touring during the last few years. But at the Barcelona Open, he was able to get back on the clay after almost two years away. The Spaniard was far from his best as he participated in the French Open, Rome Masters, and Madrid Masters.
Nadal is currently getting ready for the Paris Olympics, which will take place on the red clay of Roland-Garros. He passed on the grass swing in favour of continuing his preparation on clay, and he entered the Nordea Open in Bastad, where he faced Leo, the son of Bjorn Borg, in the first round. He easily defeated the young Swede, eliminating him in two sets.
Nadal was questioned if he had contacted Bjorn to provide his son with the best strategies to increase the level of competition during the on-court interview. Admitting it, he said that Borg was his Laver Cup captain.
The Spaniard made light of the fact that Borg had been a good captain for him today, saying he needed wins to build confidence.
Nadal talked about it in the post-match press conference and said: “It was a great honour for me to play against the son of one of the legends of our sport, he played a good game and has a bright future ahead of him, I wish him all the best. Bjorn is my captain in the Laver Cup, as a good captain today he didn’t have to give advice to his son, but he had to support me because I needed to win to regain confidence (ride). I thank the Spanish fans today, but especially the Swedes who have not been able to see me for so long.”
Rafa Nadal had kind words for Leo Borg after beating him in Bastad:
“It’s a huge honor to play against the son of one of the biggest legends in the history of our sport.”
Always pure class. ❤️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 16, 2024
Nadal in Bastad, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked world no.261, the Spaniard achieved a 8-5 record in 2024. Rafael is playing in Bastad where he bested the world no.461 Leo Borg 6-3 6-4.
Rafael Nadal will compete against the world no.42 Cameron Norrie in the 2nd round. Their current head to head is 4-1 for Nadal.
Rafael won 92 titles in his career: 24 on hard courts, 63 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
