Rafael Nadal earned one of his best wins in his 2024 comeback when he defeated Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 in round two of the Nordea Open on Thursday afternoon.
“Great feelings,” Nadal commented. “I’ve been a while without playing on the tour, since Roland Garros. To have the chance to compete well against a great player like Cameron is a great feeling. I think I played in some moments good tennis, in some moments I need to play a little bit more aggressive, but that is part of the journey today.
“I haven’t been competing very often, so matches and victories like today help. To be in rhythm the whole match and hold the pressure on the opponent the whole match, that’s something that I need to improve, because I didn’t play enough.”
Playing in his fifth clay-court tournament of the season since returning from a hip injury, Nadal broke Norrie midway through the opening set before saving a break point at 5-4 for a clutch hold. The 38-year-old fell into a 1-4 hole in the second only to win 14 points in a row to regain control. That led to five consecutive games in Nadal’s favor as he wrapped up his victory in dominant fashion.
“I said to myself, ‘OK, it’s 1-4, but it could be 4-1 for me, too, so I just need to keep doing the things that I am doing.’ I probably played a little bit more aggressive with my backhand, which I think at the end of the match worked a little bit better. That makes the difference. With the forehand I am quite happy–and with the serve, too.”
The 22-time major champion will try to keep it going against Mariano Navone in the quarterfinals on Friday.
