Rafael Nadal reached his first final since winning the 2022 French Open on Saturday, defeating Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic in a three-set match in Bastad ahead of the Paris Olympics.
A day after his four-hour quarterfinal victory, the 22-time Grand Slam champion faced Ajdukovic, the world number 130 who had only won two tour-level matches prior to this week.
The Spaniard came back from a first-set loss to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, returning to the final of an event he won as a teenager in 2005.
“It was a really tough match. It was quite difficult, to be honest, but I found a way to survive and make it to the final after a lengthy absence, so that’s fantastic news, and I’m very pleased,” remarked Nadal.
The 38-year-old will face Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges, who defeated Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4, as he seeks his 93rd singles title.
His most recent victory came two years ago at Roland Garros, when he won the competition for the record 14th time.
“It’s always a great feeling to be back in the final,” said Nadal, whose ranking has dropped to 261 after a series of injuries. “I won four matches in a row, something I haven’t achieved in two years.
“A lot has happened… I’m still in the process of recovering many things I lost due to significant hip surgery almost a year ago, so progress isn’t easy.
“But I’m fighting. I’ve fought throughout the tournament to be where I am today. Matches like yesterday and today help me improve on the court, so I’m happy with that. Let’s see if I can play a little better tomorrow.”
Nadal struggled early against 23-year-old Ajdukovic, falling 3-0 and a double break down in the opening set. However, he fought back with two breaks in the second set after another poor start.
The former world number one seemed in complete control in the third set when he surged ahead 3-0, only to lose his serve twice in succession, repeating the stumble that nearly cost him on Friday.
He broke again in the seventh game and then resisted two more break points in the next, eventually securing victory with a comfortable hold two games later.
Nadal is using the event in Bastad as a tune-up for the Olympic Games, where the tennis will be played on clay at Roland Garros. He won gold in singles in Beijing in 2008 and gold in doubles in Rio 2016.
This week marked Nadal’s return to action for the first time since his first-round loss at the French Open in late May.
Nadal was also scheduled to play doubles later on Saturday alongside Casper Ruud but announced he was withdrawing as a precaution after spending six hours on court over his last two singles matches.