Rafael Nadal defeats fourth-seeded Mariano Navone, reaches Nordea Open semifinals

While he may be something of a lion in the winter, 38-year-old tennis star Rafael Nadal is roaring again, surprising many late into the 2024 season.

On Friday, at the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden, Nadal defeated No. 4 Mariano Navone in a four-hour, 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-5 comeback quarterfinal match. The 6-foot-1 southpaw cruised to a victory that spanned three grueling sets, all lasting more than an hour. He now advances to his first ATP Tour semifinal round since Wimbledon in 2022. During that tournament, Nadal played with a torn abdominal muscle that ultimately forced him to withdraw after beating Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal round. He has no such health restrictions this time around.

This surprise victory follows another, more convincing win over a top-5 ranked opponent at the tournament. On Thursday, Nadal defeated No. 5 seed Cameron Norrie in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Read more: Rafael Nadal surprises top favorite and reaches Nordea Open quarterfinals

“I lost my concentration for a moment, but I was able to physically hold on until the end,” Nadal reflected during his post-match interview on court, according to ATPTour.com. “That’s so important for me. Let’s see how I am tomorrow, but today I’m alive and in the semis, so that’s very important.”

Nadal is a former world No. 1, widely regarded as one of the best players in the history of the men’s game. He has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles (a record at the time he achieved that feat), including at least two from every major. His 14 French Open titles are an all-time record and have helped him earn the apt nickname “King of Clay” in reference to his best court surface. After missing most of the 2023 season with a hip injury, Nadal has dropped out of the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in 18 years, a new record.

When he returned to action in early 2024, Nadal struggled with a muscle injury that forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open. He had an unusually smooth run at this year’s French Open before skipping the entire grass-court season.

That suddenly seems like a wise decision now, as he has a real chance of returning to the final.

In the third set of the quarterfinals on Friday, Nadal took what looked like a convincing 5-2 lead, but Navone, ranked No. 36 in the world, came back. Ultimately, Nadal held on to win the final set and the tournament.

On Saturday at 4 a.m. PT/7 p.m. ET, Nadal takes on 23-year-old Duje Ajduković, who is currently unimpressive and ranked No. 130 in the world.