Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal failed to clinch the Bastad Open title on Sunday after losing to Portuguese player Nuno Borges. Borges won 3-6, 2-6 in straight sets as Nadal was visibly struggling to get a grip on his game. The defeat came as a shocker for fans who were left disappointed after the match as Rafa ended up winning only 5 games in the entire match.
This loss is a matter of concern as the 14-time Roland Garros champion just lost on clay, which is his biggest strength. The 22-time Grand Slam winner’s quarterfinal performance was beyond impressive as he played Argentina’s Navone for around 4 hours and ended on the winning side. But his age and fitness don’t allow him to play rigorously in back-to-back matches, the consequences of which were visible in his loss to Borges.
With the Olympics all set to take place in Roland Garros in a few days, Rafa’s loss is quite concerning as the fans are now worried if the King of Clay will be able to clinch a medal or not.
While one fan wrote, “What!? Nadal lost to a bottom feeder!,” another fan condemned his decision to bow out of doubles alongside Casper Ruud and wrote, “Nadal withdrew from doubles with Casper to get cooked in straight sets to Nuno?!” A fan even predicted that he would not be having a good Olympics season and commented, “Nadal about to get smoked at the Olympics.”
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However, this reaction from fans can be considered a little overboard as Nadal is currently 38. Other than age, he also suffered a hip injury despite which the former world no. 1 has been delivering quite good performances for his fans. Playing for 4 hours at 38 and mounting a comeback is definitely beyond impressive. All these factors need to be kept in consideration before predicting anything for the tennis great.
To manage his workload, Rafa might decide to opt out of the US Open 2024 and instead put his focus on less competitive tournaments like the Laver Cup and the 6 Kings Slam before he decides to bid adieu to the game he loves and has made his fans love so much.
