Rafael Nadal reached his first final since winning the 2022 French Open, defeating Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic in a three-set tussle in Bastad on Saturday.
(Comeback) King of clay 👑
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 20, 2024
19 years on, @RafaelNadal returns to the Bastad final 4-6 6-3 6-4 🆚 Ajdukovic@NordeaOpen | #NordeaOpen pic.twitter.com/UwecYzC7Oe
A day after his four-hour quarterfinal victory, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was again tested to the limit by Ajdukovic, the world number 130 who had won just two tour-level matches before this week.
Simply iconic ✨@RafaelNadal serving up what the fans want to see@NordeaOpen | #NordeaOpen pic.twitter.com/L5yUi5boO7
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 20, 2024
The Spaniard rebounded from dropping the opening set to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, returning to the final of a tournament he won as a teenager in 2005.
Nadal will play Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges or Argentina's Thiago Agustin Tirante on Sunday as he goes in search of the 93rd singles title of his career.
His most recent triumph came two years ago at Roland Garros when he won the tournament for a record-extending 14th time.
Nadal is using the event in Bastad as a tune-up for the Paris Olympics, where the tennis will be played on the clay at Roland Garros.
The 38-year-old returned to action this week for the first time since losing in the first round of the French Open in late May.
He is also due to play in the doubles later on Saturday alongside Casper Ruud.