Nuno Borges earned his debut ATP tour title with victory over Rafael Nadal in the final of the Nordea Open.
The 27-year-old Portuguese player spoke to ATPTour.com about the path to his maiden title, his pre-match routines, and his passions off the court.
[ATP APP]
What does it mean to win your first ATP Tour title? Not only did you win the title, but you beat an all-time great in Rafa. How special is that for you?
To be honest, I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. It feels amazing, it’s like I was saying, it’s when you least expect it sometimes - tennis is crazy. I came here this week without winning a match for a few weeks, coming from the grass where it was a tricky week, and all of a sudden, I come out playing great and winning the whole thing, and not just winning the title, but beating Rafa in the final on clay, a place where he has won before. Just beating the King of the Clay means a lot to me, it feels surreal to me, and it already feels like it wasn’t yesterday, it feels so long ago and I’m still in disbelief.
This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
Yeah, for sure a milestone. It was something that I wanted to do, I was already aiming for my first semis and once I did that then my first final and then winning the title for sure. It was something that I dreamed about for a long time, and I didn’t think that it would happen this week but again it’s when you least expect it and taking one match at a time can really do these things for you. I celebrated a little bit with the other players last night, with the staff, they provided us with an amazing dinner, and [we went on] a night out just to enjoy it. I was able to have my girlfriend out in town, she flew in just for that so that was awesome too. I wish I had all my friends and family, but it wasn’t possible this time. I’ll go back home today, and I don’t have really too much time to waste. I’m going straight to Paris after, getting ready for the Olympics, not too much time to celebrate, but tennis is like this.
Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
Yeah, I’ve now acknowledged some people starting with Australia this year and even before that just being on the Davis Cup team. I think all of those that make me look back and think about all the coaches that helped me throughout my career and my process even before I was a professional and all the friends that were part of my whole journey. Obviously, my sponsors, my family, everybody on my team that without them it wouldn’t be possible. I know they’re celebrating with me right now.