Rafael Nadal refuses to confirm his availability for ATP Bastad 2024 semi-finals – FirstSportz

Former world number 1 Rafael Nadal showed his courage and passion on court again on Friday. Many thought the 22-time Grand Slam winner might not have the drive to win tough matches now that his best years are behind him, but he proved them wrong in the quarterfinals of Bastad.

It took Nadal almost four hours to beat Mariano Navone and advance to the semi-finals of the ATP 250 Bastad 2024. He will compete against Duje Ajdukovic next, as long as he recovers well from this tough match. The Spaniard spoke about this in the press conference after the match.

I will make decisions when I wake up tomorrow. Let's see how the body is. Even if I were young, I would have to do a lot of recovery. Based on how the body is tomorrow, I will make a decision. I don't know how I'll wake up, but I'm still alive.

Rafael Nadal said this at his post-match press conference

The last time Nadal reached a semi-final, he had to withdraw. This happened at Wimbledon 2022, where he was originally scheduled to play Nick KyrgiosThe Australian reached his first Grand Slam final, where he would lose to Novak Djokovic.

With the Paris 2024 Olympics just around the corner, Nadal may have to be cautious. But it will be hard for him to stop competing in Bastad and miss the chance to win his 93rd ATP title.

Rafael Nadal beats Mariano Navone in thrilling match in Bastad

The ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal faced a tough challenge from Mariano Navone on Friday at the Nordea Open in Bastad. Using his mental strength, the Spaniard won 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-5 in a gruelling quarter-final that lasted three hours and 59 minutes on his favourite surface.

The match was intense and unpredictable, with three sets lasting over an hour each. In the first set, Nadal came back from 1-4 down to force a tiebreak, but Navone won. In the second set, the 23-year-old overcame a 0-3 deficit, but Nadal broke Navone’s serve in the 11th game to take the set.

In the third set, Navone took an early 2-0 lead by breaking Nadal’s serve. However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion fought back and won five games in a row. Navone evened the score at 5-5, but Nadal broke his opponent’s serve again in the 11th game.

Nadal held his serve and secured his tenth tour-level victory in 2024. Despite struggling at times, his determination and skill led him to victory in this thrilling match.

In case you missed it!