Legendary Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to the Bastad crowd after his loss against Nuno Borges in the final of the tournament. After losing the summit clash in straight sets, Nadal hinted at retirement at the end of this season stating that the fans might not see him again in this arena a a player. Nadal’s heartfelt speech was filled with gratitude for the crowd who cheered him through thick and thin in the game.
Rafael Nadal’s dream run at the Bastad Open came to an anti-climatic end as he was beaten 6-3, 6-2 in the final on Sunday, July 21 by Nuno Borges. Nadal, who had won the quarterfinal and semifinal with incredible comebacks, was unable to muster one on Sunday as Borges was able to outclass him in the summit clash.
Nadal had played a 4-hour thriller with Mariano Navone in the quarters before being pushed all the way by Duje Ajdukovic on his way to the final. He would also decide to pull out of the doubles semifinals with Casper Ruud in a bid to recover and be ready for the final. However, Sunday ended up not being his day.
Borges delivered an impressive performance in his first tour-level final, breaking 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal’s serve five times to secure the victory.
“Good afternoon everyone. First of all congratulations to Nuno. You played great all week. You deserve it more than anyone else. Enjoy your moment. It’s a special moment winning a title. I wish you all the very best for the rest of the season,” Rafael Nadal said after the match.
“I have been here during the whole week and a half enjoying this amazing place. I really had fun on court. I played some long and good matches. Today wasn’t my best day. But all credit to Nuno. He played very very well and it was difficult for me, so well done,” he further added.
The last few years have been injured marred for Rafael Nadal. He has tried to make comebacks but issues his muscle tear and ankle have not let him remain consistent.
“To my team and family.. I can’t thank you enough for everything. It hasn’t been easy moments the last few years. Even in the low moments, my team and family have been with me every single day, helping me in every way. Thank you so much everybody for being there all the time. I feel privileged to be able to play in front of an amazing crowd. Thank you for all the support the whole week. You made me feel special on court and gave me a lot of energy in the tough moments. I don’t know if I’ll be back here playing. Probably not. But I enjoyed being back and playing here one more time, without a doubt,” concluded Nadal.
Rafael Nadal is set to play doubles with Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris Olympics.