Shaky Rafael Nadal swept away by big-hitting Nuno Borges at Nordea Open

There simply isn't as much room for error for Rafael Nadal these days. He is still capable of brilliant tennis, of course, but even on clay, he is no longer seemingly unbeatable. Still, his run at the Nordea Open was impressive and has to give him hope for the upcoming Olympic games.

But while Nadal missed far too many forehands and was terrifically inconsistent with his serve in the final of the Nordea Open against Nuno Borges, the truth is that Borges was the better player on Sunday. Borges' wicked forehand and steely nerve carried him through an especially tight first set when both players had issues holding serve early until Borges took full control midway through the second set.

One break in the second set ultimately made the difference. Though Nadal had to know he could break back since he had broken Borges twice in the first set, the man from Portugal had taken such control over the match, the Spaniard might have thought even if he broke back he would also be broken once again.

Nuno Borges defeats Rafael Nadal in the final of the Nordea Open

After getting the break to take the lead in the second set at 3-2, Borges was able to get another break later in the set so that the final of 6-3 6-2 seemed to be an easy win. It wasn't. Plus, while Borges did not appear to be struggling with nerves, he had to be.

He had never played Nadal before nor had he ever won an ATP title. The final game of the match might have been the most impressive because Borges served as if he had won 50 titles before. He won the game losing only a point and was letting his first serve dictate play.

With the victory, Borges will move up to number 42, his career-high.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal got a lot of work to help set himself up for what he hopes is a successful run at the Olympics. Those matches will be played on the same clay as the French Open, which is played in Paris, of course. The tennis part of the games begins on July 27.

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