Rafael Nadal made touching gesture to son of 11-time Slam winner who snubbed dad

Rafael Nadal made a touching gesture to the son of 11-time Grand Slam winner Bjorn Borg when the pair played at the Nordea Open earlier this year. Leo Borg recently went on record to say Nadal was the reason he first picked up a tennis racket, even though his dad is recognised as one of the sport’s greatest-ever players. Such was his admiration for the Spanish star, Borg dubbed it a dream come true to play Nadal in a competitive fixture when the two met in Sweden during the summer. Nadal was just working his way back into fitness ahead of the Paris Olympics when he was drawn against the 21-year-old in Sweden. In truth, it was somewhat of a non-event, with Nadal brushing Borg Jnr. aside in straight sets, but it didn’t prevent any niceties from taking place post-match. Accepting the recognition from Borg, Nadal returned the sentiment, saying: “Great feelings. For me it has been a huge honour to play against the son of one of the biggest legends in the history of our sport. I think he played quite well, he has a future in front so I wish him all the very best.” It’s a statement that would’ve no doubt filled Borg with joy, given how much he revered the Majorca-born ace. Speaking to Swedish outlet Rekatochklart following Nadal’s recent retirement, Borg said: “He has always been my biggest idol. He is probably the reason why I started playing tennis in the first place. He has a very big place in my heart. “As long as I can remember, I have watched all his matches. I know almost all his results. Getting to meet him before he decided to quit was huge for me. It was one of my biggest dreams and I will remember that for the rest of my life.” Leo’s comments are unlikely to cause any awkwardness at the next family party though, given Bjorn himself has heaped plenty of praise on Nadal. When asked if he had any resentment after Nadal broke his French Open Slam record, Borg Snr. replied: "No, not at all. Many people said at the time that probably no one would break my record. I said: 'Records are there to be broken.' That is an important aspect in sport. “And then Rafa comes along and wins 14 times. You will never see another player who is so good on clay. "The first time [I met Nadal] was in Bastad about 20 years ago. Even then, many people said that he would be a great champion. I did too, by the way. It was the first time I saw him play tennis. I only came into contact with him later.”