Nuno Borges is the first Portuguese to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open: “I hope to show the young people that it is possible”

Shortly a month before his 27th birthday, Nuno Borges (ranked 69th ATP) witnessed the most important moment of his career: by defeating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (ranked 13th ATP) on Saturday, the player became the first Portuguese to reach the round of The sixteen. 16 of the Australian Open!

A feat in four sets, which he still couldn't come back from in the post-match press conference. “I'm honestly still digesting it, I can't believe it. I wasn't ready to win this match when I started.”

Borges, a five-time Challenger Circuit champion (the second tier of professional tennis), was clearly very proud of his country. “I think it's an important moment for Portugal. I'm proud to be Portuguese, to be here and to participate in the biggest tournaments in the world. I hope to show it to as many young people as possible. With a little luck and hard work, we can succeed.”

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In the round of 16, Nuno Borges will challenge Daniil Medvedev. The Russian, who reached the final of the Australian Open in 2021 and 2022, is not ranked third in the world.

“I don't think we hit the ball together at all. I'm still very new to this tour and haven't had a lot of opportunities to compete with the top 10 or top 20 players. I'm definitely expecting a tough match, but I'm not ready yet to think about it. I want to enjoy my evening first.” “Of course, he is an unbelievable player. He was often far behind in many Grand Slam tournaments. This will be a big challenge for me. I'm excited.”