"I need victories" - Rafael Nadal reveals texting Bjorn Borg to give son Leo his best tactics after competitive 1R battle at Nordea Open

Rafael Nadal recalled asking Bjorn Borg to give his son Leo Borg some tips for his first-round match against the Spaniard at the 2024 Nordea Open to make things challenging. He dispatched the young Swede 6-3, 6-4 in just an hour and 25 minutes to have a superb start to his campaign.

The 38-year-old's hiatus on tour in the past couple of years has been due to his injuries. However, he did manage to return to the clay after nearly two years at the Barcelona Open. The Spaniard also played the Madrid Masters, Rome Masters, and the French Open but was far from his best level.

The former World No.1 is currently preparing for the Paris Olympics that will be held in Roland-Garros, meaning it will be played on the red dirt. In order to prepare for it, he skipped the grass swing and continued his preparation on clay and entered the Nordea Open in Bastad where he played Bjorn Borg's son Leo Borg in the opening round. He made light work of the young Swede, ousting him in straight sets.

During the on-court interview, Nadal was asked if he had texted Bjorn Borg to give his son the best tactics to make the match more competitive. He admitted to it and mentioned how Borg was his Laver Cup captain.

The Spaniard said that he needed victories to gain confidence and joked that Borg had been a good captain for him today.

“That's right, because, he's my captain," Nadal said. "I haven't been playing a lot of tennis the last few months, So, I need victories for the confidence now. So, if he's a good captain today, it was for me.”

Rafael Nadal will face Cameron Norrie in Nordea Open R2, doubles campaign alongside Casper Ruud continues

Rafael Nadal (image source: GETTY)

Rafael Nadal will play the fifth seed Cameron Norrie in the second round of the Nordea Open. The Brit comfortably defeated Jozef Kovalik 7-6(4), 6-4 in his opening round. This will be the sixth meeting between the two men with the Spaniard having an overwhelming 4-1 head-to-head lead. Having said that, their most recent meeting was at the 2023 United Cup which was won by Norrie.

The Spaniard will also continue his doubles campaign where he has reached the quarterfinals alongside Casper Ruud. They defeated Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and Guido Andreozzi in the opening round and will play Theo Arribage and Roman Safiullin next.

Ruud is also competing in singles but received a bye in the opening round as a result of being the second seed. He will kick off his campaign against Thiago Monteiro on July 17.