Rafael Nadal is not just done yet! The Spanish tennis legend is back in an ATP Final, this time at the Swedish Open. At 38 years of age, despite remaining away from the court for over a month, Rafa is making a powerful statement: he’s still got what it takes to win a title. The determination in his eyes and the fire in his game have been evident throughout the tournament. And in doing so, he seems to be surpassing one of his biggest rivals, Novak Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal emerged victorious in the semi-final clash of the Swedish Open on Saturday. Playing against Duje Ajdukovic, he won the match in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Despite being down in the first set, Rafa demonstrated what he is known for, resilience, as he dusted off the disappointment of the first set and got past his Croatian Opponent. This victory, apart from being a huge confidence booster for the Spaniard, also puts him ahead of Novak Djokovic in the race to win the first title of the season.

Both Nole and Rafa have remained titleless so far this season. While Djokovic played the Wimbledon final, Nadal will be playing in an ATP final for the first time in two years, after he won in the French Open finals against Casper Ruud in 2022. However, after the long wait, the ‘King of Clay’ is now poised to make the move towards winning a title and the major reason behind it is his planning for the season.

The 38-year-old decided to play only selective tournaments this year. In fact, the Swedish Open has just been his 5th tournament as compared to Djokovic’s seven. He decided to take adequate rest and avoid challenges that could impact his game. It was for this very reason that he opted to withdraw from Wimbledon and focus more on the clay courts, as the Paris Olympics will also be played on the clay surface of Roland Garros. The veteran seems to be moving cautiously, especially after the hip surgery he went through last year and the abdominal issues he faced this year. Besides, his physically draining Swedish Open campaign further highlights his resilience and determination.

Nadal played one of the longest best-of-three matches in 15 years on Friday against Mariano Navone at the Bastad quarterfinals, which lasted for over four hours. While many expected him to halt his run, he defied the odds. Despite that draining match, the Spaniard demonstrated his agility on Saturday again and won the semi-final clash against Duje Ajdukovic. But while Rafa is taking adequate cautions, Djokovic is failing to do the same. 

Novak Djokovic underwent surgery in June this year after he tore the medial meniscus in his right knee. But despite the doctors and experts not advising him to return to the court soon, he made an appearance at Wimbledon. While he played sensationally to reach the finals, many experts believed that he took extreme physical risks in doing so, which might impact his performance in the long run. 

Coming back to Nadal, the Swedish Open and the clay surface would further add to his possibility of winning a title this year. It’s because this particular surface has given him a lot of success in his career, including 14 Grand Slams. But returning to a title-winning position was not an easy task for Nadal. 

“A lot of things…,” Rafael Nadal admits losing immensely to reach a title-winning spot

Bastad Open has not just given Rafael Nadal due accolades that he deserved, but it has also raised his spot in the rankings. The Spaniard, who was placed at 261 before the tournament, has advanced over 100 ranks and is currently standing at 160 as per the Live ATP rankings. But, reaching the spot was not easy for Nadal.

Speaking after his semi-final win, Rafa said, “Always, it’s a great feeling to be back in a final. I won four matches in a row, something I wasn’t able to make happen since two years ago. In this process of recovering a lot of things I lost…things have not been going that easy, but I’m fighting.”

Nadal’s fight has been clearly visible, especially in the last two matches. As he continues his remarkable run, it will be interesting to see if he can clinch his first title of the season on Sunday, where he will be meeting either Thiago Tirante or Nuno Borges.