Rafael Nadal made a triumphant return to the court at the Nordea Open as he defeated Leo Borg in straight sets. This was the Spaniard’s first match since his opening-round loss at Roland Garros in May. Following Nadal’s win, he received immense love from the fans on social media.
Among all the active tennis players, Nadal has the highest fan following (21.3 million on Instagram and 15.5 million on X). These numbers are just another proof of the immense love people shower on Rafa, with social media being the primary display platform.
The Spanish maestro also returns this love with equal zeal as he is quite active on his social media accounts, acknowledging his fans’ gestures. Nadal, on Tuesday, took to his Instagram to reveal an interesting way of thanking fans.
He posted a video on Instagram stories, in which he can be seen sitting on a cycle as a part of his post-workout routine and reading congratulatory messages received after his Nordea Open victory. He captioned the video, “Thanks for all the messages. I see them,” emphasizing how he acknowledges all the love that’s showered on him by his fans.
Nadal returns to Nordea Open with a win
In the first round of the Nordea Open, Nadal beat Leo Borg, the son of legendary tennis player and former world number one Bjorn Borg. Nadal beat Leo Borg by a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4.
This is also the first time in 19 years that Nadal chose to play at the Nordea Open as the last time he played at this tournament was in 2005. Nadal will now face fifth seed Cameron Norrie in the next round. When it comes to the head-to-head battle between the two, Nadal has the edge, with four wins and a loss against Norrie.
“It has been a huge honor“: Nadal on facing Bjorn Borg’s son
During the post-match presentation, Nadal also expressed how special it is for him to beat the son of Bjorn Borg. “For me, it has been a huge honor to play against the son of one of the biggest legends in the history of our sport,” said Nadal.
The Swedish star is considered to be one of the greatest players to have graced the sport and has also played a huge role in shaping the career of a lot of present-time tennis greats, including Nadal and Roger Federer.
