Nuno Borges: "I couldn't get my feet firmly on the ground"

Portugal's top-ranked tennis player, Nuno Borges, has been eliminated from the Estoril Open in the second round. He admitted to being "far below" his usual standard in his defeat to Argentina's Roman Andrés Burruchaga. The match concluded with set scores of 1-6, 6-3, 4-6.

Speaking at a press conference after the match, the Portuguese athlete, currently ranked 48th in the world, did not hide his frustration, describing his performance as "disastrous." "Many things went wrong, and it's hard to say why now," confessed Borges, who felt that the "very difficult conditions" did not favor his playing style.

The tennis player felt that his opponent, ranked 60th globally, "pressured him more" and that he himself failed to find his rhythm. "I honestly felt I was far below the player I am today. In a way, I couldn't get my feet firmly on the ground, feel the stadium, feel the ball, play my game," he lamented.

Borges revealed that his dissatisfaction stemmed from his previous match on Tuesday, stating he was "far below what I train for and what I expect of myself." The athlete described a sense of apathy on court: "I feel like my body wasn't shaking, but it became apathetic; I had no magic in my shots and ended up playing an entire match in a way that isn't my game."

Despite winning the second set and keeping "hope alive," the level of play exhibited was "very unsatisfactory" and insufficient to counter Burruchaga's final push. "It's very disappointing and tough. I try to see it as just another match, but it's not. Because it's not just another tournament," he emphasized, acknowledging the unique pressure of competing at home.

Even so, the Portuguese tennis player found a positive in his ability to fight until the end. "I'm happy that mentally I gave myself a chance to find a way to compete until the end, but I'm very dissatisfied with what I did," he concluded, resigned to his early exit.