Rafael Nadal was one win away from winning a 64th clay court title in the final season of his career.
Nadal won an ATP record of 63 clay court titles, with only Chris Evert winning more tournaments on the surface than him.
The final title of the Spaniard’s entire career also came on clay, with Nadal winning the French Open in 2022 after beating Casper Ruud in the final.
Nadal had an opportunity to win another clay court title at the Swedish Open in 2024, but he was beaten in the last final of his career.
Nuno Borges beat Rafael Nadal in his last clay court final
Nadal lost in the first round of the French Open in 2024, but he returned to clay later that year in preparation for the Paris Olympics.
The one ATP tournament Nadal would play ahead of the Paris Olympics was at the Swedish Open in Bastad, where he had won the title in 2005.
Despite all of the physical struggles he faced in the last year of his career, Nadal was able to beat the likes of Cameron Norrie and Bjorn Borg’s son, Leo, to reach his 131st career final and 72nd on clay.
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Nadal had won 63 of his 71 previous finals on the surface, but he came unstuck in the final against Portuguese player Nuno Borges, who had just reached his first ATP final.
Despite his lack of experience in finals compared to the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Borges was able to beat Nadal 6-3, 6-2.
Borges is one of only five players to have beaten Nadal in a clay court final, joining the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
This was the last final in the career of Nadal, who retired at the Davis Cup Finals later that year.
| ATP Players who beat Rafael Nadal in clay court finals | Finals they beat Rafael Nadal in |
| Novak Djokovic | Madrid Open 2011, Italian Open 2011, Monte Carlo Masters 2013 & Italian Open 2014 |
| Roger Federer | German Open 2007 & Madrid Open 2009 |
| Andy Murray | Madrid Open 2015 |
| Horacio Zeballos | Chile Open 2013 |
| Nuno Borges | Swedish Open 2024 |
What is Nuno Borges’ best Grand Slam result?
Although Borges’ only ATP title to date came at a clay court tournament and he is part of an exclusive group of players to beat Nadal in a clay court final, he actually has a losing record at the French Open.
In the seven matches he has played at the French Open, Borges has won just three matches, two of which came last year when he achieved his best result at the tournament by reaching the third round.
Borges achieved his career-high ranking of world number 30, which he achieved in September 2024 after reaching the fourth round of the US Open.
He has also reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, with Borges being one of only two Portuguese players in history to reach the second week of a major.
| Grand Slam | Nuno Borges’ Win-loss Record | Nuno Borges’ Best Result |
| Australian Open | 7-4 (63%) | Fourth Round (2024) |
| French Open | 3-4 (43%) | Third Round (2025) |
| Wimbledon | 2-4 (33%) | Third Round (2025) |
| US Open | 5-4 (57%) | Fourth Round (2024) |
Borges has not reached another ATP final since beating Nadal in Bastad, and is currently the world number 48.
The 29-year-old has had a difficult start to the 2026 season, with Borges losing 11 of his first 18 matches this year.
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