Rafael Nadal returned to singles with his victory over Björn Borg’s son Leo at the Nordea Open in Sweden.
The pairing of names of the two best male clay court players of the Open era caused a stir in tennis, even though the career of 21-year-old Leo is unlikely to match that of his father.
Leo, ranked 461st, received a wildcard into the tournament in Bastad and played well against his illustrious opponent, who also received a wildcard, before suffering a 6-3, 6-4 defeat.
“Great feelings,” Nadal said in his on-court interview.
“It was a great honor for me to play against the son of one of the greatest legends in the history of our sport.
“I think he played quite well. He has a future ahead of him, so I wish him all the best.”
Nadal played his first singles match since losing to Alexander Zverev in the first round of the French Open in May.
The 38-year-old decided to stay on clay rather than risk further injury by switching to grass and has been training with the aim of being in top form for the Olympic Games in Paris later this month.
Nadal will likely face a tougher challenge next, against British No. 2 Cameron Norrie, who defeated Jozef Kovalik in the first round on Monday.
Top seeds Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud have a bye into the second round.