Nadal shakes off stiff start, rallies past Ajdukovic to Bastad final

For the first time in more than two years, Rafael Nadal has that final feeling.

The Spaniard rallied from a set and a break down to overhaul Duje Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday afternoon at the Nordea Open and reach his first tour-level championship match since 2022 Roland Garros.

Having overcome Mariano Navone in a four-hour marathon on Friday in Bastad, Nadal needed time to loosen up in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash against Croatian qualifier Ajdukovic. Yet he raised his level in time to recover after dropping serve in the opening game of the second set, going on to break his opponent’s serve five times across the second and third sets en route to a two-hour, 13-minute semi-final triumph.

“I think it was a tough match. My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against,” said Nadal in his on-court interview. “He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back. It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”

Clay title No.64 within reach! 🤯🏆@RafaelNadal returns to a tour-level final for the first time since @rolandgarros 2022

📸@NordeaOpen | #NordeaOpen pic.twitter.com/LmreqseYCD

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 20, 2024

Just as he had against Navone, Nadal sealed victory despite letting slip a double-break lead in the deciding set. After Ajdukovic rallied from 0-3 to 3-3, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings immediately broke through on return again before holding firm behind his serve to clinch the win.

Although he made a relatively slow start to Saturday’s match, Nadal delivered a more consistent performance overall than he had against Navone. He was particularly clinical on return, and converted all six break points he earned against Ajdukovic, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“Always it is a great feeling to be back in a final,” said Nadal. “I have won four matches in a row, something I was not able to make happen since two years ago. A lot of things happened, but still in this process of recovering, a lot of things I lost, because I had a very important hip surgery almost one year ago.

“So things were not going that easy, but I am fighting. I am fighting during the whole tournament to be where I am today, and I think matches like yesterday’s, like today’s, help to improve a lot of things on court. I am happy with that, and let’s see if I am able to play a little bit better tomorrow.”

Now 11-8 for the season, Nadal will take on seventh seed Nuno Borges, who defeated Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first ATP Tour championship match, for the trophy in Sweden. The 38-year-old is on a nine-match winning streak in Bastad, where he lifted the trophy on his previous appearance in 2005.

Despite the disappointment of defeat, Ajdukovic can reflect on an impressive week in Bastad, where he defeated Luca Van Assche, Pavel Kotov and Thiago Monteiro to reach his maiden ATP Tour semi-final. The 23-year-old has risen 20 spots to No. 110 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run, setting him up for a new career-high in Monday’s edition of the PIF ATP Rankings.