Rafael Nadal reached his first final since the 2022 French Open by defeating Duje Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Nordea Open on clay court in Bastad.
After taking four hours to beat 36th seed Mariano Navone in the quarterfinals on Friday, Nadal got off to a slow start against Ajdukovic on Saturday, trailing by a break in the second set before turning the corner.
“My opponent had one of the best backhands I’ve ever played against,” Nadal said.
“It was honestly very, very difficult, but I found a way to survive and get to this final after not being in a final for a long time. So this is great news and I'm very happy about it.”
Nadal will play against either Nuno Borges or Thiago Agustin Tirante in the final.
Nadal is taking part in the tournament in Sweden for the first time since winning the title as a 19-year-old in 2005 and is currently preparing for the Olympic clay court tournament at Roland Garros in Paris.
Nadal, 38, skipped Wimbledon because he didn't want to switch from grass to clay and get injured. He has struggled with hip and abdominal injuries over the past 18 months.