Rafael Nadal Reaches First Final Since 2022 at Swedish Open.
Rafael Nadal has reached his first final since 2022, securing a hard-fought victory over Duje Ajdukovic in three sets at the Swedish Open in Bastad. The 38-year-old Spaniard triumphed over the unseeded Croatian 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match lasting two hours and 12 minutes, marking his first appearance in a final since the French Open two years ago.
On Sunday, Nadal will face Portugal’s seventh seed Nuno Borges, who defeated Argentina’s unseeded Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-4, 6-3 in their semi-final clash.
“It was a very tough match – my opponent has one of the best backhands I have played against,” said Nadal. “He came here with a lot of confidence. I was trying to push him back and it was very difficult. I found a way to survive.”
This upcoming final will be Nadal’s 131st tour final and his 72nd on clay. Reflecting on his achievement, Nadal said, “It is always a good feeling to get back into a final. I’m still in this process of recovering a lot of things that I lost because I had an important hip surgery almost a year ago. Things are not going that easy but I am fighting.”
Nadal was also scheduled to compete in the Swedish Open men’s doubles semi-final on Saturday alongside Casper Ruud. However, the pair withdrew to allow Nadal to conserve his energy for the singles final. Their withdrawal advanced Brazil’s Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos to the final.
Nadal’s participation in the doubles was intended as preparation for his partnership with Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics this summer.
In his semi-final match against Ajdukovic, Nadal displayed remarkable resilience. Although the Croatian took the first set 6-4, Nadal responded with a strong performance in the second set, winning 6-3. The third set saw Nadal initially dominate with a double break to lead 3-0. Ajdukovic, however, fought back, breaking Nadal’s serve twice to level the set at 3-3.
Nadal regained control by breaking Ajdukovic’s serve once more and held his own serve to lead 5-3. Despite Ajdukovic holding his serve to stay in the match, Nadal clinched victory by holding serve in the final game. Throughout the match, Nadal converted all six of his break points, while Ajdukovic managed to convert only five out of ten.
As Nadal prepares for the final against Borges, his determination and competitive spirit remain evident. This final represents another step in his ongoing recovery and quest for continued success on the tennis court.
