Rafael Nadal reached his first final in two years on Saturday, overcoming qualifier Duje Ajdukovic with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Swedish Open in Bastad. The 22-time grand slam champion is continuing his preparations for the Paris Olympics.
The 38-year-old Spaniard, who had been out of action due to a hip injury that necessitated surgery last year, took four hours to defeat Mariano Navone with a scoreline of 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-5 in the quarter-finals of the clay-court tournament on Friday.
“I fought throughout the tournament to be where I am today. Matches like yesterday’s and today’s help improve many aspects on court,” said Nadal, whose last final appearance was at the French Open in 2022.
“It’s always a fantastic feeling to be in a final. I managed to win four matches consecutively. I hadn’t achieved that in two years. Many things have occurred. That’s the reality.”
Nadal, who has clinched one Olympic gold in men’s singles and another in doubles, will compete in singles at Paris as well as in doubles with French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
“I’m still in the midst of regaining many things I lost after undergoing significant hip surgery nearly a year ago… so progress has been slow. But I’m persevering… let’s see if I can perform a bit better tomorrow.”
Nadal is set to compete against either the seventh seed Nuno Borges from Portugal or Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante in Sunday’s final.
The Paris Games commence on Friday, with the tennis events beginning the following day.
