'I'm fighting': Rafael Nadal stuns in first final run since 2022 in final preparation for Olympics
Rafael Nadal reached his first final since Roland-Garros in 2022 by rallying to beat Duje Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the clay-court Nordea Open.
After needing four hours to beat the 36th-ranked Mariano Navone in Saturday's (AEST) quarterfinals, Nadal had a slow start against Ajdukovic and was a break down in the second set before turning things around.
“My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against,” Nadal said.
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“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 celebrating victory over Croatian Duje Ajdukovic. AP
Nadal is playing at the tournament in Sweden for the first time since he won the title as a 19-year-old in 2005 as he prepares for the Olympics.
The five-time world No.1's most recent success came at the Roland Garros in 2022, where he lifted the trophy for a record-extending 14th time.
A string of injuries has set Nadal back in the world rankings over the past 18 months, with his latest withdrawal from Wimbledon cementing his spot at 261.
The Spaniard hasn't played in a final since the 2022 French Open. AP
The 38-year-old confirmed his withdrawal from the All England Club tournament was not directly associated with his injury concerns, but rather due to the intense physical toll of making the surface switch between grass and clay that could risk injury.
"It's always a great feeling to be back in the final. I won four matches in a row, something I wasn't able to make happen since two years ago," said Nadal.
"A lot of things happened... I'm still in this process of recovering a lot of things I lost because I had a very important hip surgery almost one year ago, so things are not going that easy.
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Nadal earlier in the tournament. AP
"But I'm fighting. I've fought during the whole tournament to be where I am today. Matches like yesterday and today help to improve a lot of things on court, so I'm happy with that."
His semi-final success prompted the Spaniard to announce his withdrawal from the doubles event along with partner Caspar Rudd as a precautionary measure ahead of the Games.
Nadal's past two single's matches have spanned for over six hours combined.
He will face Nuno Borges, who beat Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first tour-level final.
