Rafael Nadal expressed discomfort but is relieved to have avoided an injury as he prepares for the Paris Olympics.
The Spaniard has been dealing with fitness concerns as he prepares for the Games.
Rafael Nadal sat out Wimbledon to ensure he is prepared for the Paris Olympics.
Rafael Nadal is relieved to have avoided any injury in Bastad as he prepares for the Paris Olympics, but he is dissatisfied with his level of play and fitness.
The 38-year-old Nadal, who missed nearly all of 2023 due to a hip issue and has been limited to six tournaments this year because of a muscle tear and other fitness problems, was defeated 6-3, 6-2 by Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges in the Swedish Open final on Sunday.
After defeating fifth seed Cameron Norrie on Thursday, Nadal faced tough three-set matches against fourth seed Mariano Navone and Duje Ajdukovic in the subsequent rounds, struggling by the end of the week.
"The performance was far from what it should be, and I felt low on energy. It has been a long week with extended matches," Nadal said.
"Even though my body isn’t damaged, which is crucial, I’m not accustomed to playing four consecutive days with long matches. I need to thoroughly analyze and understand why my performance was lacking, despite the energy issues. These situations can arise, and I have to face the reality honestly."
Nadal chose to forgo Wimbledon in order to focus on his preparation for the Paris Olympics, which will be held at Roland Garros—the venue where he has secured 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
At the Olympics, Nadal aims to build on his achievements from the 2008 Beijing Games, where he won gold in singles, and his doubles victory in Rio 2016. In addition to competing in singles, he will pair up with French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz for the doubles event.
Reflecting on his week in Sweden, Nadal remarked, "Reaching the final was a positive outcome. It was good to play extended matches without any injuries." Despite this, he admitted dissatisfaction with his performance: "I felt like I was practicing better than I played throughout the tournament. I was unable to showcase my true level consistently, which is disappointing."
Though Nadal made it to the final for the first time in a long while, he acknowledged that he didn’t feel fully comfortable throughout the week. Nevertheless, it was a productive week, as he won four consecutive matches for the first time since 2022, and tested his physical condition ahead of the Olympics.
Looking ahead to Paris, Nadal will face strong competition from Serbian legend Novak Djokovic, who is targeting gold to complete his otherwise impressive resume of 24 Grand Slam titles. Other contenders include Poland's Iga Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion in the past five years, and American Coco Gauff, the reigning US Open champion and 2022 Roland Garros runner-up.
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