“Nuno Borges takes responsibility for disastrous game and exit from the Estoril Open.”

Nuno Borges delivered a surprisingly poor performance in the second round of the Estoril Open, exiting the singles competition with an unexpected defeat. The national number one and 48th in the world rankings fell to Argentina's Roman Andrés Burruchaga, ranked 60th, in a match marked by a display well below his usual level.

The encounter, held in Estoril, ended with Burruchaga triumphing 1-6, 6-3, 4-6, in a match where Borges struggled to impose his game. In a press conference, the Portuguese tennis player acknowledged his performance was below expectations: “I missed a lot, and now it’s hard to say why. Last year, I managed to play well, I adapted better.” He also admitted that he couldn't find his rhythm during the match: “I was not happy with my level at all and I was far below what I train for and what I expect from myself.”

Borges did not hesitate to describe his performance as “disastrous” and explained the difficulties he faced: “I felt that today I was much below what I am as a player, that’s the truth. In a way, I couldn’t keep my feet firmly on the ground, feel the stadium, feel the ball, play the game.” The player lamented the lack of magic in his game and the sense of apathy: “Sometimes, the more I want, the worse it gets, and I feel that my body wasn’t trembling, but became apathetic; I had no magic in the ball and ended up playing an entire match in a way that is not my game.”

Even with a second set won, Borges admitted that his level remained below what he desired, but he managed to maintain hope until the end: “Although it was a match below my expectations, he was also having difficulties playing. Today was just a tough day to play, but in the end, I’m happy that I mentally found a way to compete until the end, but I'm very dissatisfied with what I did.”

The conclusion of his participation in the Estoril Open represents an opportunity for reflection and learning. Nuno Borges made it clear that he is committed to evolving: “I just have to try to learn from this; I need to find a way to win these matches.” The Portuguese player will now have to work to overcome these difficult moments and return to presenting his best tennis in the upcoming competitions.