In the end, it was a case of so near, yet so far for Rafael Nadal. The Spanish legend gave some gritty performances this week at the Swedish Open, his comeback tournament after an injury break. However, he fell in the final hurdle, losing against Nuno Borges in the summit clash. It was a contrasting display by him today, going down tamely in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. However, Nadal had some respite despite his finals encounter ending in a disaster.

In the live ATP rankings, Nadal is set to have a massive rise. When the new rankings are released tomorrow, the Spaniard will leapfrog an astonishing 100 spots to be at the 161st position in the new rankings. This comes as a massive boost to him ahead of the Paris Olympics, as he sets his eyes on clinching a medal in his final appearance at the mega-event.

Nadal didn’t have any points to defend as he was absent from the tournament last year. As a result, his appearance in the finals this year gave him 165 additional points that enabled him to rise 100 spots at once in the ATP rankings chart. The Spaniard is slowly and steadily getting back to his groove and fans can expect a rejuvenated Nadal to taste one last glory before he calls time on his illustrious career.

Further, Nadal had a greater rise in doubles, where he reached the semifinals in Bastad along with Casper Ruud. The Spaniard rose 9442 spots to be in the 557th position in the live ATP doubles rankings. Along with his singles commitments, Nadal will also team up with Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles at the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, his opponent today in the summit clash, Nuno Borges, was over the moon after winning against the 22-time Grand Slam champion on clay.

Nuno Borges honored to share the court with Rafael Nadal

The 27-year-old Borges had a dream run this week in the Swedish Open. He played some fearless tennis that enabled him to win crucial moments in his matches. As a result, he emerged triumphant and lifted the Swedish Open trophy.

Ahead of his summit clash against Nadal, Borges had a dream-come-true moment, saying, “Just sharing the court with Nadal, specially in a final, is a dream come true. I will try to enjoy as much as possible and still try to be competitive and win.”

Indeed, the Portuguese star lived his dream and went on to defeat Nadal in his first clash with the Spanish legend. He was elated with his performance after the match and revealed, “I don’t know what to say. I think I was wishing for this moment for a while. It is crazy tennis, it doesn’t happen when you expect it sometimes.”

After a hectic week, Nadal will look to take some time off and recover well for the Paris Olympic Games. Can he come back strongly after a tame defeat in the Swedish Open summit clash? Let us know your views in the comments below.