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.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion met world number 130 Ajdukovic, who had only won two matches at the tour level before this week, a day after he triumphed over the Serbian player in a four-hour encounter in the quarterfinals.
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 very tough match. It was difficult, to be honest, but I managed to survive and make it to the final after a long hiatus, so that’s good news, and I’m really happy,” Nadal said.
The 38-year-old will face Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges, who upset Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4, for his 93rd singles title.
His most recent victory occurred two years ago at Roland Garros, where he won 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 recuperating many of the things I lost as a result of major hip surgery about a year ago, so progress is slow.
“But I am battling. I fought throughout the competition to get to where I am now. Matches like yesterday and today help me progress on the court, which makes me pleased. Let’s see if I can play better tomorrow.
Nadal struggled early against the 23-year-old Ajdukovic, going behind 3-0 and a double break in the first set. However, he recovered with two breaks in the second set after another slow 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 warm-up for the Olympic Games, which will be held on clay at Roland Garros. He won gold in singles in Beijing in 2008 and doubles in Rio in 2016.
This week marked Nadal’s comeback to action since losing in the first round of the French Open in late May.
Nadal was also slated to play doubles later on Saturday with Casper Ruud, but he withdrew as a precaution after spending six hours on court in his previous two singles bouts.