Nadal defeats Borg as Paris buildup gathers momentum

Rafa Nadal marked his return to singles tennis with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Leo Borg, son of Swedish great Bjorn Borg, to reach the last 16 in Bastad as he prepares for the Paris Olympics.

Nadal's last singles match was his first-round defeat by Alexander Zverev at the French Open in May. He skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the Olympic tennis tournaments at Roland Garros.

"I haven't been playing a lot of tennis," said Nadal, who faces Cameron Norrie today. "Playing in front of a full crowd means a lot to me. It gives me energy to keep practising every day."

Nadal, 38, missed most of 2023 with a hip problem and his comeback earlier this year was stalled by a muscle tear.

REUTERS