Nadal defeats son of Swedish great Borg Leo in singles return in Bastad

Former world number one Rafa Nadal celebrated his singles comeback with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Leo Borg, the son of Swedish great Bjorn Borg, to reach the last 16 in Bastad, where he continues his preparations for the Olympic Games in Paris.

Nadal’s last singles match was his first-round defeat to Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros in May.

The 38-year-old tennis player, who won the French Open a record 14 times, skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the Olympic tennis tournaments, which will take place at Roland Garros.

On Tuesday, Nadal claimed his eighth victory of the season on the ATP Tour in an hour and 25 minutes, beating 21-year-old Borg and will now face fifth-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie on Thursday.

“For me it is a huge honour to play against the son of one of the greatest legends in the history of our sport,” said Nadal, who won his first-round doubles match on Monday alongside Norway’s Casper Ruud.

“I think he played very well, he has a great future ahead of him. I wish him all the best. I haven’t played much tennis in the last few months.

“Playing in front of a full house means a lot to me. It gives me energy to keep practicing every day. Even in the most difficult moments I have persevered with the help of the team, but of course the fans have a huge impact on that.”

Nadal missed most of 2023 with a hip injury and his comeback earlier this year was hampered by a muscle tear, after which minor ailments marred his preparation for Roland Garros.

The Spaniard, who won gold in singles at the 2008 Olympic Games and gold in doubles in 2016, will play in singles in Paris and will team up with Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in doubles.

The tennis tournament at the Olympic Games will take place from July 27 to August 4 at Roland Garros. REUTERS