Rafael Nadal stepped up his preparation for the Paris Olympics, successful a four-hour battle with Mariano Navone to progress into the Nordea Open semi-finals.
The 22-times grand slam champion has not lifted silverware since his French Open triumph in 2022, after a spate of accidents meant he missed the vast majority of final season. He’s now simply two wins away after beating fourth seed Navone 6-7 (2), 7-5, 7-5 in a marathon encounter in Bastad, Sweden.
It represented the sternest examination of Nadal’s bodily situation since his return to the ATP Tour in April, with the Spaniard capable of bounce again from throwing away a 5-2 lead within the decider to clinch victory and arrange a semi-final with the Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic on Saturday.
Nadal has been affected person together with his newest comeback after exiting the French Open within the first spherical in opposition to Alexander Zverev. The Spaniard skipped Wimbledon to proceed his clay-court season right here, together with his deal with a return to Roland Garros, the place he has gained 14 French Open titles, on the Summer season Video games later this month.
“I used to be not targeted on a regular basis, as you noticed with [losing] 3-0 and 5-2 [sets]. I misplaced for some moments the focus, however I used to be capable of maintain bodily till the top. That’s so necessary for me. Let’s see how I’m tomorrow! However in the present day I’m alive and I’m within the semi-finals.”
Nadal had already recorded straight-set wins over Leo Borg – the son of tennis nice Björn Borg – and the British No 2, Cameron Norrie, already this week. He’s aiming to win a 3rd Olympic gold medal this summer season, having gained the singles event in Beijing and the boys’s doubles at Rio 2016 with Marc López.
Elsewhere, Holger Rune’s participation within the Olympic Video games is unsure after the Danish participant retired from his Hamburg Open quarter-final in opposition to Arthur Fils. “So sorry guys. My knee had triggered issues for the reason that incident within the first match,” Rune wrote on Instagram. “Yesterday was dangerous. In the present day I attempted but it surely wasn’t good.”
The highest seed, Alexander Zverev, eased by to the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over China’s Zhang Zhizhen and can face Spain’s Pedro Martínez subsequent.
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On the Gstaad Open in Switzerland, Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Fabio Fognini in straight units and can face Matteo Berrettini within the semi-finals. Berrettini acquired the higher of Félix Auger-Aliassime in two tie-breaks to proceed his comeback from harm troubles.
