Although Rafael Nadal lost the Bastad clay-court final on Sunday, he acknowledged that his “level was so far from what it should be” going into the Olympics in Paris. Nadal is aiming for a third gold medal.
In his first final since winning the 14th French Open in 2022, the 38-year-old Spanish legend lost in straight sets to Portuguese journeyman Nuno Borges.
“The level was significantly below expectations. Probably the energy as well,” Nadal remarked.
“The week has been long due to the lengthy matches. Although it’s crucial that my body is undamaged, I’m not used to playing long matches and four days in a row mentally or physically.”
After losing in the first round of the French Open in May, Nadal was participating in his first tournament.
In preparation for the Olympics, which are being held at Roland Garros, the venue of 14 of his 22 Grand Slam victories, he skipped Wimbledon in order to concentrate on honing his clay-court tactics.
Nadal will be aiming to add to his 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal in singles and his 2016 Rio Olympics doubles crown.
In addition, he will partner with Carlos Alcaraz, the winner of the French Open and Wimbledon, in Paris for singles matches.
“I participated in the final, which is good. Of his week in Sweden, Rafael Nadal continued, “It’s good that I was able to play long matches without having an injury.”
Injuries have limited the former world number one to just six tournament appearances in 2024, and his ranking has plummeted to 261.
I felt, in a way, that my practice when I got here was superior to my performance throughout the entire week of the tournament. I don’t feel satisfied with that,” he clarified.
“At the beginning of the week, I felt like I was playing at a high level, but I was unable to demonstrate it. I’m not pleased with that at all.
Nevertheless, since this is the final and the first in a long time, I can’t say that the outcome is poor. However, I was unable to feel at ease enough to be content with the tennis I played during the entire week.”