Rafael Nadal sends message to tennis legend's son after his return

Rafael Nadal made his competitive return with a three-set win over Bjorn Borg’s son and the 22-time Grand Slam winner paid tribute to his opponent after the match.

Rafael Nadal beats Bjorn Borg’s son Leo in his return to action((ADAM IHSE/TT/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal believes Bjorn Borg’s son Leo has a big future in tennis after beating him on his return to action at the Nordea Open in Sweden.

Nadal had not played competitive tennis since losing to Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros in May and the 22-time Grand Slam winner has opted to miss Wimbledon this year in order to focus on his preparation for the Paris Olympics.

In his return match against Borg, Nadal won 6-3 6-4 in three sets. However, Borg fought hard and impressed Nadal with his performance, which was praised by the Spaniard after the match.

“It’s a great feeling,” Nadal said in his on-court interview. “For me, it was a huge honour to play against the son of one of the greatest legends in the history of our sport. I think he played pretty well, he has a future ahead of him, so I wish him the best.”

Bjorn Borg won 11 Grand Slam singles titles during his illustrious career and his son Leo has followed in his footsteps, although he once called Nadal his “idol”. In 2023, Borg revealed: “I met Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup because my father is the captain of the European team.

“He has always been my idol since I was little. I want to become a professional and make a living from tennis… I would like to reach the top 10. The truth is that I have always wanted to play tennis on my own.

“I know he (Borg’s father) is proud of me, of what I’m doing, and I hope I have a good future. I had a hard time with that when I was younger, with people following me on the court or off the court, and I wasn’t used to that.

Nadal paid tribute to Borg after his victory((ADAM IHSE/TT/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images)

“But I’m getting used to it and I can control it better. I just have to control it because it’s going to follow me my whole career. It doesn’t bother me. I just focus on my goal, on my tennis.”