Rafael Nadal got an unexpected fitness check as the player who has been hurt for much of the past two seasons struggled into the semi-finals of the ATP Bastad Open.
The 38-year-old who had once been expected to retire sometime late in this season, has rewritten that script this week after skipping Wimbledon so as not to compromise his clay game with the Paris Olympics kicking off in a week.
Nadal concluded his Swedish quarter-final marathon 6-7 (2), 7-5, 7-5 over 36th-ranked Argentine Mariano Navone to reach his first semi since Wimbledon, 2022, when he handed in an injury walkover to Nick Kyrgios.
The Spaniard with 22 Grand Slam titles now ranked 261 almost blew a 5-2 lead in the deciding set before rallying to hang on for victory.
“I lost for some moments my concentration, but I was able to hold up physically until the end,” he said after a win in which each set lasted for more than an hour.
“That is so important for me. Let’s see how I am tomorrow, but today I am alive and in the semi-finals, so that’s very important.”
Nadal trailed 2-0 in the third set, but won the next five games with the score eventually standing five games apiece after Navone rallied to come back from double-break down.
The Spanish veteran secured his 10th break of the South American’s serve for 6-5 and finished off a game later for his 10th win of this injury-plagued season.
The winner said each set featured “changing dynamics.”
“For moments, he was in control. For moments, I was in control. But at the end, no one was in control!
“I had a good chance in the second with 3-0. Then I was very close to losing the match in the second set.
“In the third (i led) 5-2, but he’s a great fighter and he played a great match. I wish him all the very best for the rest of the season.”
Nadal, who won the Bastad title nearly two decades ago at the start of his career, will work to recover for Saturday’s semi against Croat qualifier Duje Ajdukovic, who defeated Thiago Monteiro 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Main photo:- Rafa Nadal winning in three sets today in Bastad – by Nordea Open
