Rafael Nadal sends ominous message to his rivals as he eyes up extending his career
Many believed Rafael Nadal would aim to retire from tennis at this summer’s Olympic Games, but he is heading into the Paris sporting showing real signs of a return to top form.
Nadal recovered from 4-1 down in the second set to claim victory over British number two Cameron Norrie in the second round of the Swedish Open at Bastad.
The 38-year-old, who opted to miss Wimbledon in order to focus efforts on the Paris Olympics, had his serve broken by No 5 seed Norrie who was looking to level the match after going down 6-4 in the first set.
But having received treatment on the court to his arm after taking a heavy fall, Nadal came back to claim a 6-4 win in the set and progress to the quarter-final where he will face Argentinian Mariono Navone.
“Great feelings, it’s been a while without playing on the Tour since Roland Garros and I had a chance to compete against a great player like Cameron,” said Nadal.
“It’s part of the journey today. I haven’t been competing very often so matches like today help and holding the pressure on the opponent for the whole game is something I need to improve on because I haven’t played enough.”
Nadal, who will play singles and doubles with Carlos Alcaraz in Paris, broke Norrie once in the first set to set up what at the stage looked like a routine win, but having fallen behind in the second required a five-game winning run in order to edge through.
This was a hugely impressive performance from Nadal and probably his best since he made his comeback to tennis earlier this year.
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His movement was impressive and his ball striking, especially on his menacing forehand, was too much for Norrie.
The Brit played well after a challenging few months on the ATP Tour, but the level Nadal maintained in this match was as high as he has managed in 2024.
He played well in patches as he lost against Alexander Zverev at the French Open and he beat Alex de Minuar in an emotional match in front of his Spanish fans in Madrid in April.
Yet Nadal now appears to be reaping the rewards of his decision to skip Wimbledon and stay on clay courts as he targets success at the Olympics.
The word coming out of the Nadal camp suggests the 38-year-old has had a good few weeks of practice on clay and the evidence of his performances in Bastad back up the belief that he is starting to get into shape to win again.
On paper, that win could come in Sweden this week as the draw has opened up for the Spaniard as he eyes up his 93rd career singles title.
Nadal will face a tough test against Argentina’s world No 36 Mariano Navone in the quarter-finals on Friday, with Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro a potential semi-final opponent after his big win against Casper Ruud earlier this tournament.
An all-Spanish final between Roberto Carballes Baena could be the test that awaits Nadal if he reaches the final, but that ambition is a little way into the distance for now.
Yet with Nadal confirming he will play at the US Open and also scheduled to take part in the high-profile exhibition event featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev in Saudi Arabia in October, the prospect of an improving Nadal extenfing his career beyond 2024 must now be in his thoughts.