Rafael Nadal defeated Duje Ajdukovic at the Swedish Open on Saturday to reach his first ATP Tour final in over two years, ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris.
The 38-year-old has been in excellent form in Bastad in preparation for his final Olympics, also overcoming Born Borg’s son, British star Cameron Norrie, and Mariano Navone.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who has postponed plans for retirement, faced Croatian world No.130 Ajdukovic just one day after a four-hour marathon match, which would have taken a significant toll on his ageing body.
Nadal, who mounted another comeback to beat Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, has now reached his first final since securing a record-extending 14th French Open title in June 2022.
Just as he did against Navone, Nadal secured victory despite relinquishing a double-break lead in the deciding set. After Ajdukovic fought back from 0-3 to 3-3, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings immediately broke serve again before holding firm on his own serve to seal the win.
“I think it was a tough match. My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against,” said Nadal in his on-court interview. “He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back. It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”
Nadal will next face either Nuno Borges or Thiago Agustin Tirante in Bastad.
He is also due to play in the doubles later on Saturday alongside Casper Ruud.
