Rafael Nadal endured a grueling three-hour-and-58-minute battle to reach his first semi-final of the year, staging a comeback to defeat Argentine Mariano Navone at the Swedish Open. The 38-year-old Spaniard overcame the fourth seed with scores of 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 7-5, and will now face Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic for a spot in the final.
In addition to his singles success, Nadal will also compete in the doubles semi-finals alongside Casper Ruud, where they will face Brazil's Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos. This preparation is part of Nadal's lead-up to partnering with Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics.
The match showcased high-quality tennis, with Navone taking the first set in a tie-break. Nadal struggled early in the second set, allowing Navone to win four consecutive games after Nadal initially broke to lead 3-0. However, Nadal managed to break serve again, leveling the match at 6-5, and eventually secured the win on his second attempt after failing to serve out the match initially.
Following the intense match, Nadal expressed his eagerness to recover, stating, "First of all, I'm looking forward to the afternoon and trying to recover this body." He acknowledged the need for rest and recovery, regardless of his age, and will assess his condition the following day.
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