IMAGE: Rafael Nadal is congratulated by Leo Borg after their match at the Bastad Open on Tuesday. Photograph: Rafa Nadal Fans/Facebook
Former world number one Rafael Nadal marked his return to singles tennis with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Leo Borg, the son of Swedish great Bjorn Borg, to reach the last 16 in Bastad as he continues his preparations for the Paris Olympics.
Nadal’s last singles match was his first-round defeat by Alexander Zverev at the French Open in May.
The 38-year-old, a record 14-times French Open winner, then skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the Olympic tennis tournaments, which will take place at Roland Garros.
On Tuesday, Nadal claimed his eighth win of the season on the ATP Tour in an hour and 25 minutes, defeating 21-year-old Borg.
Nadal is playing his sixth tournament of the season, having won eight and lost five games. He will now face the fifth seed Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who defeated Jozef Kovalik 7-6(4), 6-4.
Nadal has an edge of four wins and a loss against Norrie in the head-to-head battle, with Norrie winning the most recent game during the 2023 United Cup. They face off on Thursday.
“For me, it has been a huge honour to play against the son of one of the biggest legends in the history of our sport,” said Nadal, who won his first round doubles match in the competition alongside Norway’s Casper Ruud on Monday.
“I think he played quite well, he has a great future in front. I wish him all the very best. I haven’t been playing a lot of tennis for the past few months.
“Playing in front of a full crowd means a lot to me. It gives me energy to keep practising every day. Even in the tougher moments, I have been able to keep going with the help of the team, but of course the fans have a huge impact on that.”
Nadal missed almost all of 2023 with a hip problem and his comeback earlier this year was stalled by a muscle tear, before small niggles affected his preparation for the French Open.
The Spaniard, who won an Olympic singles gold medal in 2008 and a doubles gold in 2016, will play in the singles at Paris and team up with French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles.
The tennis tournament at the Olympics will take place from July 27-Aug. 4 at Roland Garros.
Nadal on the US Open entry list
Rafael Nadal was on the US Open entry list released via a protected ranking, the Associated Press reported.
The US Open will begin on August 26.
Making the list is no guarantee that he will compete in the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.
The 38-year-old Nadal won four of his 22 Grand Slam titles at the US Open in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019. He sat out the event in three of the past four years, losing in the fourth round in 2022.
He is expected to compete at the Paris Olympics, which starts its tennis competition on July 27 and is being held at Roland Garros, the same as the French Open. But it’s not clear how much — or even if — Nadal will continue to play after that.
The US Tennis Association announced its entry lists for women’s and men’s singles based on Monday’s WTA and ATP rankings, led by the two No. 1s, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner. The two defending champions in New York, Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic, are both currently ranked No. 2.
The draw for the US Open will be held on August 22.
