Rafael Nadal said it is "great news" that he will be competing in his first ATP final in two years at the Bastad Open.
After a couple of straightforward wins over Swedish wild card Leo Borg and former British no. 1 Cameron Norrie, his run has been nothing short of laborious. He needed precisely four hours to defeat World No. 36 Mariano Navone of Argentina 6-7, 7-5, 7-5 in the quarterfinal.
Nadal then put the brakes on Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic, who was having the week of his life with victories over the likes of Luca Van Assche and Thiago Monteiro in another lung-busting semifinal.
Although the Spaniard required half the amount of time from his previous match to secure the win, it wasn't a cozy afternoon. He fought back from a set and a break deficit to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and reach Sunday's championship match.
Speaking after the match, Nadal acknowledged the quality of his opponent who played better tennis despite his current world ranking of No. 130, opining that he had "one of the best backhands" and that he "found a way to survive."
"I think it was a tough match. The opponent had one of the best backhands I’ve played against. He came here with a lot of confidence. I was trying to push him back. It was very difficult. I found a way to survive and be through to the final after a long time without being in a final. That’s great news and I’m very very happy with that."
This was also an emotional win, considering the bumpy road he's been through since winning the 2022 Roland Garros final. Nadal would not reach another ATP final until this week.
At that time, he underwent surgery for a career-threatening hip injury that set him on the sidelines for almost a year in 2023. When he returned to action earlier this January, he injured his hip again, although the injury was not connected to the previous one.
Nadal is pleased that he's won four matches in a row for the first time in what must feel like an eternity. He believes this run is an enormous confidence booster and hopes to play better tennis in the final.
"It’s always a great feeling to be in a final. I won 4 matches in a row. I wasn’t able to make that happen since 2 years ago. A lot of things happened. That’s the truth."
"Still in this process of recovering a lot of things I lost because I had a very important hip surgery almost 1 year ago, so things aren’t going that easy."
"But I’m fighting. I fought the whole tournament to be where I am today. Matches like yesterday and today help to improve a lot of things on court. Happy with that. Let’s see if I’m able to play a little better tomorrow."
If there is one thing that Nadal has shown throughout the week, it is resilience. His ability to battle back from the brink and win has never died. He will play Portugal's Nuno Borges in the final. The 38-year-old is chasing his 93rd career title.
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