Rafael Nadal vs Nuno Borges – Breakdown and Prediction

July 21, 2024

Rafael Nadal vs Nuno Borges: ATP Bastad – Final

The 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will take on Nuno Borges in the final of the ATP Bastad.

Rafael Nadal Profile

Former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is currently 261st in the ATP rankings. The Spaniard is 11-6 for the season and 9-4 on clay.

Nadal is coming off a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Duje Ajdakovic in the semifinals. Earlier in the tournament, he defeated Maxime Navone, Cameron Norrie and Leo Borg.

Nadal’s best result of the season was reaching the round of 16 in Madrid, where he lost to Jiri Lehecka.

This is his first appearance in Bastad after 2005, when he won the title, beating Tomas Berdych in the final.

Nuno Borges Profile

Nuno Borges is 51st in the ATP rankings, five spots lower than his career high. The Portuguese are 25-18 for the season and 13-6 on clay.

Borges is coming off a 6-3, 6-4 win over Thiago Agustin Tirante in the semifinals. Previously, he defeated Timofey Skatov, Henrique Rocha, and Andrea Pellegrino.

His best result this season was winning the Challenger in Phoenix, defeating Matteo Berrettini in the final.

This is his first appearance in Bastad.

Head-to-Head

This will be the first match between Rafael Nadal and Nuno Borges.

Prediction and Conclusion

Rafael Nadal has had his best tournament this season. He survived a four-hour match in the quarterfinals and came back from a set down in the semis to reach the final. Now, he has a chance to win his first title in two years. Nuno Borges is a solid player who Nadal would definitely beat if this were the first round of the tournament. In these circumstances, we have to take into consideration the time Nadal spent on the court this week, including playing doubles. Borges will have an amazing opportunity to beat one of the greatest ever and will leave everything he has on the court. Given all that, this will be a tough battle that will last over 22.5 games in total.