Rafael Nadal still has to wait for a potential 93rd ATP title. Despite his experience, he was not there against Nuno Borges (51), who needed no more than an hour and a half to win his first title (6-3, 6-2), at the ATP 250 tournament in Båstad (Sweden).
As hard as it may be for those who cherish Nadal’s memories of his best days, when he destroyed his opponents, especially on clay, this setback has been on his face for days. Whether it was in the quarterfinals against Navone, after four hours of play, or against Ajdukovic in the semifinals, Nadal always won thanks to his will and some powerful forehands, even hampered by a late warm-up and an erratic serve. Above all, an embarrassing setback at times. But Nadal, and he is unmatched when it comes to showing extra motivation to play the match. On the other hand, in the final, there was almost nothing left, except for a few rare strokes of genius.
If the Spaniard had congratulated himself the day before on being able to play four matches together for the first time in two years, the fifth was clearly too much. Given his weaknesses, he could never move well enough to frighten Borges, who was not impressed by his opponent’s pedigree. Once the exchanges continued, it was the Portuguese who moved his opponent. Nadal sometimes looked his age, and more importantly, he never managed to get injured, and Borges’s win makes sense in that context.
Of course, there are positives for the former world number 1. He has clearly regained all his physical abilities. There is no more squeaking and he just has to keep working in the box. But there are also negatives, such as this setback that has held him back since the first exchanges of the tournament. To see if he can correct the situation before the start of the Olympic tournament (July 27 – August 4) which we know has made a major goal.
