Rafael Nadal beats Duje Ajdukovic in an exciting matchup to enter his first ATP Final in over 2 years

Despite a slow start on Saturday, Nadal's overall performance was more consistent compared to his quarterfinal match.

Rafael Nadal beats Duje Ajdukovic in an exciting matchup to enter his first ATP Final in over 2 years

Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)

Rafael Nadal escaped a loss in the semi-final of the Swedish Open on Saturday to enter his first ATP final since 2022. The Spaniard beat Croatian Duje Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to seal his spot in the final of the Swedish tournament. 

Training on clay for the upcoming Paris Olympics, the Spaniard took part in the Swedish Open as part of his preparation. He got through the rounds pretty easily until the quarterfinal, where he had to fight a lot to secure his spot in the semis.

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The real task began here for Nadal, who was down one set in the semi-final match against Ajdukovic. The Croatian did not back down one bit. Though Nadal fought right back in the second set, he still kept fighting in the third. 

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The third set was the most interesting one. Both the players exchanged breaks before Nadal got one at the right moment. He was consistent with his first serve points throughout the match, keeping it above 80%. 

The win also adds a huge plus point for Nadal, as the whole match contained very few unforced errors (zero double faults). In the three sets, the unforced errors were below five, which was the edge he had over his opponent.

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Rafael Nadal opens up on moonball technique at the Bastad Open

‘King Of Clay’ Rafael Nadal showed his newly learned tricks at the ongoing Bastad Open. The Spaniard was struggling a bit in his quarter-final match against Mariano Navone before he started implementing a new tactic in his game. 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

Nadal, known for his forehands, shifted his strategy slightly as required by the game and implemented more moonballs on the windy Bastad courts. He lofted the ball high enough to land deep into the opponent’s court and started to win points from there. 

It's true that when the ball was going fast, he played at a very high rhythm. So especially when the wind was helping, from the right side of the umpire, that shot worked.
Rafael Nadal said after his quarter-final win.

Despite the struggle through injuries, Nadal seems in good touch. His unforced error count is less and has shown his usual resilience to advance to the final of the tournament. The latest win marks his first final in two years on the ATP tour.

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