Rafael Nadal reaches first final since 2022 at Swedish Open

Rafael Nadal reached his first final since 2022 as he beat Duje Ajdukovic in three sets at the Swedish Open in Bastad.

Nadal beat unseeded Croat Ajdukovic 3-6 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 12 minutes to reach his first showpiece since the French Open two years ago.

On Sunday, the 38-year-old Spaniard will face seventh seed Nuno Borges, of Portugal, who beat unseeded Thiago Agustin Tirante, of Argentina, 6-4 6-3 in their semi-final.

“It was a very tough match – my opponent has one of the best backhands I have played against,” said Nadal.

“He came here with a lot of confidence. I was trying to push him back and it was very difficult. I found a way to survive.”

The final will be Nadal’s 131st tour final, and 72nd on clay.

“It is always a good feeling to get back into a final,” he added.

“I’m still in this process of recovering a lot of things that I lost because I had an important hip surgery almost a year ago. Things are not going that easy but I am fighting.”

Nadal was also set to play in the Swedish Open men’s doubles semi-final on Saturday with Casper Ruud, but the pair pulled out with Nadal conserving his energy for the singles final.

Their withdrawal sends Brazil’s Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos into the final.

Nadal was competing in the doubles as preparation for his doubles partnership with Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics this summer.