Rafael Nadal made a winning return to singles after beating Leo Borg 6-3, 6-4 at the Swedish Open and confirmed his intentions to participate in the last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open.
He also teamed up with Casper Ruud in doubles and recorded a win. Back-to-back wins are a great confidence booster for Nadal, who has been struggling greatly with injuries since last year.
“Great feelings. It’s true that there have been some on and off conditions in terms of weather, but we are lucky that we have been able to play the whole match without rain today. I’m happy for that,” Nadal said about his feelings in only his sixth tournament of 2024,
Before this year, Nadal last played in Bastad in 2005 when he also won the singles title. The 22-time Grand Slam champion joked about defending the title this year.
“I’m defending the title,” joked Nadal. “Playing in front of a full crowd like this means a lot to me. It gives me energy to keep practicing every day. Even in the tougher moments, I have been able to keep going with the help of the team.
“The fans have a huge impact on that. They give me an amazing energy. Today, I have to say thank you very much to the Spanish followers here, but especially the Swedish, since I haven’t been able to play here since a long time ago.”
After his straight sets win in the Swedish Open, Nadal appeared in the US Open entry list with his protected ranking of No. 9.
Nadal last appeared at the US Open back in 2022 when he lost to Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the tournament.
Nadal, alongside compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta, Denis Shapovalov, Reilly Opelka, Soonwoo Kwon and Dominic Stricker, is one of six men’s singles players currently in the US Open main draw via a protected ranking.
