The Spanish gravel king Rafael Nadal is moving on to the singles in Båstad's ATP tournament after a real thriller in the quarterfinals.
It wasn't until after nearly four hours that the 38-year-old Spaniard could hit the match ball against the 15-year-younger Argentine Mariano Navone and win 2–1 in sets.
I can't thank the audience enough for all the support here in Båstad since I arrived, it's been so special for me, he says in the victory interview on the centre court.
Nineteen years after his victory in Båstad, the legend Rafael Nadal is back in the Swedish tennis metropolis for the first time.
Second-longest three-setter
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has drawn full stands all week – both in singles and doubles with Norwegian Casper Ruud – and in the quarterfinals, he and opponent Mariano Navone (ranked 36th in the world) gave the audience value for their money.
It wasn't until after three hours and 58 minutes on the centre court that Nadal could hit the match ball to the audience's great jubilation. The Spaniard won 6–7 (2–7), 7–5, 7–5 in his second-longest three-setter in his career.
I held physically until the end, which is important for me, we'll see what shape I'm in tomorrow, but today I'm alive. I'm tired but I'm in the semifinals, that's the most important thing.
Now Nadal is facing double semifinals on Saturday – in singles against Croatian Duje Ajdukovic, who qualified for the tournament, and in doubles with Norwegian Casper Ruud. The duo will face the Brazilian pair Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz.
"A young body"
Directly after Friday's marathon match, the 38-year-old doesn't exactly look forward to two matches on the same day.
No, first and foremost, I'm looking forward to the afternoon and trying to recover this body. Even though it's a young body, it's time to work on recovery. We'll see how I wake up tomorrow, says Nadal, who received a wildcard to the tournament.
After a few injury-plagued years, the former world number one Nadal is now ranked 261st in the world. The Spaniard sees the tournament in Båstad as an important part of his preparations for the Olympics in Paris, which will be held on Roland Garros gravel.
Born: June 3, 1986.
Turned pro: 2001.
Grand Slam record: 14 titles in the French Championships (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022), 4 titles in the US Open (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019), 2 titles in Wimbledon (2008, 2010), 2 titles in the Australian Open (2009, 2010).
ATP titles in total: 92, of which 63 on gravel.
Olympic record: Gold in singles 2008, gold in doubles with Marc López 2016. Also participated in singles 2016, but lost the bronze match.
Current: Playing the ATP tournament in Båstad for the first time since his victory in the tournament in 2005. Has reached the semifinals in both singles and doubles. Both matches will be played on Saturday.
