Rafael Nadal will go to the Paris Olympics looking for a third gold medal, but admitted his “level was very far from what it should be” after losing in the Bastad final on clay on Sunday. The 38-year-old Spanish great suffered a straight sets defeat to Portuguese journeyman Nuno Borges in his first final since winning the 14th French Open in 2022. “The level was very far from what it should be. “, said Nadal. “It was a long week, with long games. Even if my body has no injuries, that’s important – but mentally and physically, I’m not used to playing four days in a row and playing long games.”
Nadal was playing in his first tournament since his opening-round exit from the French Open in May.
He skipped Wimbledon to focus on his clay court moves ahead of the Olympics, which will be held at Roland Garros, the site of 14 of his 22 Grand Slam triumphs.
At the Games, Nadal will try to add to the singles gold he won at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the doubles victory in Rio in 2016.
In addition to the singles matches, in Paris he will partner with the French Open and Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz.
“I played in the final, that’s positive. I was able to play long matches without getting injured, that’s good,” added Nadal about his week in Sweden.
The former world number one has played just six tournaments in 2024 due to injury, while his ranking has dropped to 261.
“In a way I felt like I got here training a lot better than I played in the tournament all week. That’s something I’m not satisfied with,” she explained.
“I arrived here with the feeling that I was playing at a good level and I wasn’t able to show that all week. This is something that I don’t like.
“Anyway, it’s a final, so I can’t say it’s a bad result because it’s the first final in a long time. But I couldn’t feel comfortable enough all week to be satisfied with the week of tennis I played.”
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