Bastad (Sweden), Jul 17 (IANS): A day after winning his men's doubles first-round match partnering Casper Ruud here, former World No.1 Rafael Nadal made a winning return to the singles category too at the Nordea Open here on Tuesday. Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slams including a record 14 French Open titles, got the better of Leo Borg, the 21-year-old son of former World No. 1 Bjorn Borg,
The Spaniard showed some signs of rust in his first match since the French Open 2024 but rode on one break of serve in each to beat Borg 6-3, 6-4 in a first-round encounter here.
The 38-year-old Nadal committed uncharacteristic errors in the opening stages, perhaps a sign of having not played an ATP Tour match since falling to Alexander Zverev in the first round at Roland Garros on May 27. The lefty raised his level as the match wore on, finding success in wet, heavy conditions by pinning Borg in his backhand corner and forcing the Swede to hit above his shoulder.
Competing in Bastad for the first time since his 2005 triumph at the ATP 250 event played on clay, the 92-time tour-level titlist showed no signs of hindered movement, even after tumbling behind the baseline just 12 minutes into the match. Nadal seemed cautious in going for big first serves, yet did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats, throughout the one-hour, 25-minute match.
“Playing in front of a full crowd means a lot to me. It gives me the energy to keep practising every day," said Nadal, who joked he was defending his 2005 title 19 years later.
"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. They give me amazing energy,” Nadal was quoted as saying by the ATP on its official website.
Playing his sixth tournament of the year, Nadal, 8-5 in the season, will next face fifth seed Cameron Norrie, who ousted Jozef Kovalik 7-6(4), 6-4. Nadal leads Norrie 4-1 in their ATP head-to-head series, with the Briton winning their most recent meeting at the 2023 United Cup.