Bastad (Sweden), Jul 21: Rafael Nadal's winning run at the clay-court Nordea Open ended Sunday when the Spaniard was beaten by Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-2 in the final on Sunday. The seventh-seeded Portuguese player broke the Nadal serve five times on his way to a first ATP tour victory. It was Nadal's first final since the 2022 French Open. Leander Paes and Vijay Amritraj Become First Asian Male Tennis Players to Be Inducted Into International Tennis Hall of Fame, Celebrate Achievement By Showing Off their Dance Moves (Watch Video).

“It's crazy, in tennis it doesn't happen when you expect it sometimes," said Borges. “I know we all wanted Rafa to win, a part of me wished that too, but something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today.”

Nadal was playing at the tournament in Sweden for the first time since he won the title as a 19-year-old in 2005 as he prepares for the Olympic tournament on clay at Roland Garros in Paris. Rafael Nadal's Participation in US Open 2024 Uncertain Due to His Fitness, Included in Probable List of Entrants.

The 38-year-old Nadal skipped Wimbledon as he didn't want to switch the surface to grass and then back to clay and risk injury. He has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries over the past 1 & 1/2 years.

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