Player Features
Nuno Borges can’t find the kangaroos, can’t avoid Alcaraz
Get to know the Portuguese star off the court
January 16, 2025
AFP/Getty Images
Nuno Borges is trying to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year.
By Andrew Eichenholz
Nuno Borges is one of the best players in the world. The Portuguese No. 1 is an ATP Tour champion, defeated the legendary Rafael Nadal and is the No. 33 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. On Friday, the 27-year-old could reach the fourth round of the Australian Open for the second straight year when he takes on third seed Carlos Alcaraz.
But while Borges is extraordinary on the court, he is just like anyone else at Melbourne Park off of it.
“In 2023 I’m pretty sure I went to the Melbourne Zoo with my physio. I don’t know if my coach didn’t want to or something. He wasn’t into it, so I convinced my physio to go with me,” Borges told ATPTour.com. “Believe it or not, we went to the Melbourne Zoo and we could not see the kangaroos or the koalas!
“It was the hottest day of the week, like 36 degrees. The koalas were already asleep, and the kangaroo habitat was under construction, or something, and they were remodeling it. So literally, there was no chance. So I came to Australia and did not get to see kangaroos!”
One year later, Borges enjoyed his breakthrough tournament. With two major match wins to his name in seven previous tournaments, the Portuguese advanced to the Round of 16 and tested eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev in a tight four-setter. Afterwards, he was determined to meet some Australian animals.
“I went to a sanctuary and I got to pet a koala and everything, so I feel like I had my experience,” Borges said. “Also there were wallabies here walking around!”
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Outside of animal visits, Borges is a fan of doing puzzles — he will usually do a couple of bigger ones a year. But it is difficult for him to do that on the road.
“How would I travel with it back? I would have to frame it and ship it. The logistics aren’t very nice, but I thought about it. I thought about getting a few but then in the end, I’ll have to have the time, at least a week or two at home in Lisbon or in Porto, where I can settle down and build it,” Borges said. “I don’t want to build 20 per cent of the puzzle, and leave it out there just dusting for months while I go to Australia, and then coming back to it, then I’m not in the rhythm. I could do it once I have my own place, maybe I can do that, but nothing has really changed.
“I don’t have that much time at home to do much more. If you do a 1,500-piece puzzle, it takes time. It’s not like you do it alone in a weekend. Impossible.”
Borges posted an offseason video on his social media baking blueberry cupcakes. But he also is a fan of more adventurous things like theme parks. He would love to visit Hong Kong Disneyland or an attraction in Tokyo.
“As long as I’m in competition, I like to stay pretty focused, because if I do go to theme parks and stuff, it can be pretty tiring — a long time waiting in line, and just all the highs and lows of adrenaline,” Borges said. “You also maybe don’t want to go through that before a match, even though it can be very stress relieving, just especially playing a Slam, best of five sets. I think if you can save any energy you can save, maybe it’s wise to do so, so I’ll save all the activities for after.”
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Full focus is on facing Alcaraz, who won the pair’s lone Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting in Barcelona two years ago. Borges first came across the Spaniard at an ITF World Tennis Tour event in Martos, Spain, in June 2019. It was the sixth professional tournament of Alcaraz’s career.
“I remember that he was 16, already hitting crazy hard, already a very, very promising player out there. Everybody already knew him,” Borges said. “I remember watching him in the Oeiras Challenger, where I practised… He’s been around for a little bit, but at the very top, very quickly. It’s going be a big challenge.”
Borges believes Alcaraz has developed both physically and mentally despite only being 21.
“When he was 16, I’m sure it was a lot different, but I think his tennis was already there,” Borges said. “I remember he was already hitting pretty hard, so I think that’s what we see nowadays.”
