Rafael Nadal began his Nordea Open campaign against Bjorn Borg’s son, Leo Borg, with a win. The Spaniard’s young family, including his wife Maria Francisca Perello and his son Rafa Jr., were seen cheering on him during the match.
Perello sported a ‘Roland Garros’ cap, while Rafa Jr. wore a hooded rain jacket. The duo received a lot of attention, as plenty of their pictures from the game went viral.
Nadal comfortably won the first-round match against Borg, 6-3, 6-4. The King of Clay did not face any break points while converting two of the four break points he faced to reach the second round.
This is a full-circle moment for Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, who in an interview back in 2019, expressed a desire to play against Bjorn Borg on clay, due to the latter’s prowess on the red dirt. Nadal could not play against Bjorn, but he has managed to lock horns with his son Leo.
“I would choose Bjorn Borg because all the stories I have heard with him on this surface [clay], I would like to have the challenge to play against him,” the Spaniard said during the 2019 Madrid Open.
Apart from the singles campaign, the former World No. 1 is also playing doubles at the Nordea Open. He won his first match on July 15, partnering with Casper Ruud. The duo will now face Theo Arribage and Roman Safiullin for a place in the semifinals.
Rafael Nadal on his unfulfilled dream: “Watching the family grow up”
Rafael Nadal recently answered questions posed by Mexican tennis player Santiago Gonzalez’s kids on their Instagram page. One question they raised was regarding the unfulfilled goals that he had.
Nadal expressed that his current goals are to see his son grow up, support his academic endeavors, and travel with his family.
“No eh I mean outside of tennis my day by day the truth eh I guess watching the family grow up eh um be able to share with them the whole process of education of growth which is also a learning process for me and well visiting places together,” he answered.
On the professional front, he said that he has achieved more than he could have ever dreamt of.
“And from a professional level, the truth is that no, my dream is simply be able to be here, and try to play here in Barcelona no no, in terms of results I think I have achieved more than I could ever have dreamed of so no I can’t ask for anything else,” he said.
The 38-year-old Nadal will face fifth-seed Cameron Norrie in the second round at the Nordea Open.
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Source: The Wall Street Journal
