First-Time Winner Spotlight: Nuno Borges

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.

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.

How would you describe yourself as a player, and how would you describe yourself off the court?
I would describe myself as competitive and emotional, but at the same time kind of timid off court. I think tennis and just competing brings a side of me that you don’t see off the court. I don’t like to bring attention or dress fancy, I keep things simple. I don’t like to go out and party, I like to stay in with friends and chill and just chat about life. It’s something that I honestly don’t have too much time to do so I really appreciate those moments maybe more than some other people. I surprise myself with how I act sometimes on court and how I bring that fierceness and competitiveness that I don’t really show too much off court.

Do you have any specific pre-match routines that help you prepare for big matches like today's final? Perhaps a specific song to listen to while you warm up that helps you get into the zone?
Specifically, for this week my pre-match routines and post-match routines would be to soak my feet in the seawater at the beach. It’s not something I get to do every week but whenever I would have the time, I would put my feet in the sand and enjoy a little bit of the calmness of the sea and a bit of calm before the storm, and after the match the same thing. It would be before warmup and before any routines to get me going for the match, and I would go after recovering in the gym or with the physio and enjoy my time. Besides that, I don’t really do anything special, just get the body going - no special songs, I don’t even listen to songs before the match. That’s something I could actually do more often I think that would be cool.  But I try to keep it simple, even before the big matches I try not to switch my routine and just keep it all the same.

You won the big Challenger 175 event in Phoenix back-to-back and beat Berrettini in the final this year. How did those title runs help prepare you for your first ATP Tour final?
I think playing those big matches against Berrettini for example, and not just those, but other big matches I’ve played, [it’s about] just keeping building on that confidence and knowing I can compete against the best on the big stages as well, and knowing that when I’m playing my best, I’m a dangerous player for them too. I think it is fun, looking to all that, playing those big guys at the highest level on the big stages is really cool. All the success that comes with it is great and it really makes you look back and appreciate all the efforts – the highs and lows. Especially going to an ATP final, it makes you look back a lot.

What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I don’t know if it’s my biggest passion, but I would love to do handcrafts. I guess it’s a little sign maybe, my mum taught me and grew up doing a lot and I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. Right now, I do more puzzles and Legos, which you don’t really need to get your hands dirty. I love baking cakes, I did it a lot over Covid when I had the time to do it and the time to eat them.