If Rafael Nadal wanted some more match practice in advance of the Paris Olympics, he is certainly getting it at the Nordea Open.
In fact, in his third match of the week he spent a whopping three hours and 59 minutes on court. That’s how long it took for the 38-year-old to get past Mariano Navone via a 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-5 decision during quarterfinal action on Friday afternoon. Nadal squandered a 5-2, double-break lead in the final set but broke Navone again at 5-5 and and finally managed to serve it out in the ensuing game.
“I lost for some moments my concentration, but I was able to [survive] physically until the end,” Nadal commented. “That is so important for me. Let’s see how I am tomorrow, but today I am alive and in the semifinals, so that’s very important.
“In the third [I was ahead] with 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.”
The 22-time Grand Slam champion’s season continues on Saturday with a quarterfinal contest against Duje Ajdukovic. This marks Nadal’s first semifinal appearance since Wimbledon in 2022. He reached the Brisbane quarters at the beginning of 2024 before failing to advance that far at any of his four clay-court tournaments this spring.
