“It’s been a while…” Rafael Nadal delighted after getting past Cameron Norrie to get to his first clay quarterfinal since Roland Garros 2022

Rafael Nadal will next face No.4 seed Mariano Navone in the quarterfinals of the Nordea Open.

“It’s been a while…” Rafael Nadal delighted after getting past Cameron Norrie to get to his first clay quarterfinal since Roland Garros 2022

Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)

Rafael Nadal delivered one of the most complete performances in years on Thursday to defeat British ace Cameron Norrie at Nordea Open in Bastad. The victory earned the former World No.1 his first clay quarterfinals spot since the 2022 Roland Garros.

The Spaniard put out a rusty display in his opening match against 21-year-old Leo Borg but still managed to win. Yesterday, he did one better. Although he had shown glimpses of his best tennis, coming behind from 1-4 down speaks volumes of his rock-solid performance. From the start of the match, he made it difficult for Norrie to hit the ball down the baseline.

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The No.5 seed rallied into the match in the second set with strength and energy beating Nadal for every shot and pace. But, the 38-year-old used his experience of the clay court to win 14 points in a row and eventually won the match 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 43 minutes. Improving his head-to-head record against the British star to 5-1.

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After the victory, Nadal revealed that he felt great to win the match and be in his first clay quarterfinals since 2022. It is also his second quarterfinals since his comeback in January.

Great feelings. It’s been a while without playing on tour.. since Roland Garros. To have the chance to compete well against a great player like Cameron.. these are great feelings. I played for moments good tennis. For moments, I needed to play more aggressive. That’s part of the journey today. I haven’t been competing very often. Matches and victories like today help to be in rhythm the whole match and put the pressure on the opponent during the whole match.
Rafael Nadal said during the on-court interview

The Spaniard has also got into the semifinals of the doubles alongside his partner Casper Ruud. On Wednesday, they beat French Theo Arribage and Russia’s Roman Safiullin in their quarterfinal match.

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Rafael Nadal looking forward to a tough quarterfinals match against Mariano Navone

Rafael Nadal will face World No.36 Mariano Navone in the quarterfinals of the Nordea Open. The Spaniard looks to add another Bastad title to the one he won in 2005 but admitted that the Argentine is not an easy opponent.

Casper Ruud, Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

The 38-year-old now has a 9-5 win record this season and is hoping is focused only on improving his game every single match he plays.

He’s a player that is playing so well this year, winning a lot of matches, especially on clay. It is the quarter-finals of an historic event on the Tour like Bastad. You can’t expect an easy opponent. I am just focused on keeping improving every single day, trying to play every day. I know it is going to be a tough one.
Rafael Nadal said via ATP.

Nadal’s main focus remains on playing his best at the Paris Olympics. The Nordea Open is believed to be a warm-up tournament for the 22-time Grand Slam winner.

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