Rafael Nadal reaches another final as part of his preparation for the Olympics. …………

Rafael Nadal pondered on “a wonderful sensation” after reaching his first final since the 2022 French Open.

The Spaniard came from a set down to defeat Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic 4-6 6-3 6-4 and go to the Nordea Open final in Bastad, Sweden.

Nadal reached the semi-finals after a four-hour match against Mariano Navone on Friday, and Ajdukovic seized an early lead.

He was a set up and break of serve when Nadal got into gear and started his preparations for the Paris Olympics in remarkable style.

Nadal won in two hours and thirteen minutes, advancing to the final against either Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges.

“I believe it was a challenging contest. “My opponent had one of the finest backhands I’ve seen,” Nadal stated on court.

“It was quite difficult, to be honest, but I managed to survive and make it to the final after a lengthy absence.

I am struggling throughout the competition to get where I am now.

Rafael Nadal: “It’s always exciting to return to the finals.”

“I’ve won four matches in a row, something I hadn’t done in almost two years.

“I am struggling throughout the tournament to get where I am today, and I believe that matches like yesterday’s and today’s help me improve a lot of lot of things on court.

“I am happy with that, and let’s see if I am able to play a little bit better tomorrow.”