BASTAD, Sweden — Rafael Nadal returned to singles action with a 6-3, 6-4 victory on clay over Leo Borg, the 21-year-old son of Swedish great Bjorn Borg, in the first round of the Nordea Open in Bastad.
“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,” Nadal said about his 21-year-old opponent. “I think he played quite well, he has a future in front so I wish him all the very best.”
Nadal won the singles title in southern Sweden as a 19-year-old in 2005 and this is his first time back since then as he prepares for the Olympic tournament on clay at Roland Garros in Paris.
Nadal was playing his first singles match since he lost in the first round of the French Open to Alexander Zverev. He teamed up with Casper Ruud to win a first-round doubles match.
The 38-year-old Nadal skipped Wimbledon as he didn’t want to switch surface to grass and then back to clay and risk injury. He has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries over the past 1 1/2 years.
Nadal will next face British No. 2 Cameron Norrie.