Rafael Nadal has continued his fine form in Bastad with a routine straight-sets victory over Leo Borg.
That second name is one that might ring a bell to most tennis fans, and this marks confirmation that it is in fact the son of legendary tennis star and 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg.
It truly showcases the longevity of the Spaniard, who just yesterday kickstarted his Olympics preparation with a dominant doubles victory with Casper Ruud.
Unsurprisingly, when the singles draw emerged, it was the clash that everyone’s eyes rushed to.
And now we have learned how the 38-year-old reacted to finding out who he would be playing.
Rafael Nadal reacts to playing Bjorn Borg’s son
Speaking in his official press conference ahead of his first Swedish Open singles match, journalists sought to gather his opinion on this legacy opponent Rafael Nadal was due to face.
Bjorn Borg remains a true legend of the sport, and was something of a clay-court specialist, having won Roland Garros on six occasions.
There was hope that this might translate into his son, but he stood no chance against Nadal, who is the undisputed king of clay and was clearly in good spirits after yesterday’s win.
Ruud’s on-court joke aimed at Nadal only reinforces the easygoing nature of the left-handed maestro throughout this week.
Nadal did reveal his immediate reaction to the draw, even revealing what he texted Bjorn: ‘I text him when I saw the draw that I need some confidence for the Laver Cup. He’s giving the boy good tactics, then I’m not going! Only jokes!
‘I mean, at the end it’s a first round for me, and in some ways special feelings playing against the son of Bjorn after all Bjorn represents in the history of tennis and still today represents in our world.
‘But for me, it’s a first-round match I need to be ready to play at the right level. I will focus on that.’
Rafael Nadal is eyeing more Olympics glory
Whilst he will want to win both the singles and doubles titles in Bastad, these titles are relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of his career.
After all, adding just one more ATP title to the 92 he has already won in his career means little.
What it is useful for is the preparation for the Olympics, which will actually be played in Paris, where he suffered a first-round exit at the French Open just a month or so ago.
Despite holding his nerve to hold in the first game of the match, Borg just did not have the quality to compete with Nadal, and would lose with relative ease.
Hopefully, a strong run in both the singles and the doubles provides him with enough fitness and form to go for gold just like he did in Beijing and Rio before calling time on a truly outstanding career.
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