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Rafael Nadal reaches first ATP final in 2 years at Nordea Open

Rafael Nadal reaches first ATP final in 2 years at Nordea Open

One of the greatest tennis players of all time finally goes down in style.

Rafael Nadal, 22-time Grand Slam winner, has surprisingly reached the ATP final for the first time in two years.

The 6-foot-1 superstar, now ranked just 160th on the planet thanks to a series of injuries and some age-related issues, defeated 23-year-old Croatian Duje Ajduković, the world No. 130 player, in their semifinals of the ATP 250 Nordea Open on Saturday in Bastad, Sweden. Nadal came back after dropping the first set to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Rafael Nadal tennis
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates a point in the first round of the men’s singles on day two of the 2024 French Open at Roland Garros on May 27, 2024 in Paris, France. Nadal has just…


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On Sunday, Nadal will face 27-year-old Portuguese pro Nuno Borges for his 93rd ATP singles victory. Borges is ranked 51st in the world and is the tournament’s No. 7.

Nadal is widely regarded as the best male clay-court player in the Open Era and is hoping to record his 64th victory on the surface.

“It was a really tough match,” Nadal said after the match, according to Tennis.com. “He has one of the best backhands I’ve ever played against, and he came here with a lot of confidence. I think I tried to push him back, and it was very, very difficult, but I found a way to survive.”

After losing the first set and the first game of the second, Nadal took advantage of some service errors from Ajduković and adjusted to level the match.

“It’s always a great feeling to be back in a final. I’ve won four matches in a row, something I haven’t done since two years ago,” Nadal boasted.

Although leading 3–0 in the third set, Ajduković won the next three games in a row to level the score at 3–3. Nadal then broke Ajduković’s serve for the sixth time during their match and climbed from a 15–40 deficit in the next game to take the set 6–3.

“In this process of regaining many things that I lost … it has not been easy, but I am fighting,” Nadal said. “I fought the whole tournament to be where I am now, and I think matches like yesterday, like today, help to improve many things on the court. I am happy with that.”

Nadal is ultimately still preparing for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris next week, which will be held at the site of his greatest on-court triumphs, Roland Garros, where he won a record 14 French Open titles.