Rafael Nadal Hints at Possible Withdrawal from Bastad Open After Grueling Match
Rafael Nadal has suggested he might have to withdraw from the Bastad Open following a nearly four-hour battle against Mariano Navone on Friday. This win marked his first semi-final appearance in any competition since 2022. The 38-year-old Spaniard had to dig deep to defeat the fourth seed Navone, who pushed him to the limit in their quarter-final match.
Nadal spent almost four hours on the Swedish coast court, with Navone fighting back from a double break in the final set. Nadal eventually secured a 6-7, 7-5, 7-5 victory, making it his second-longest ATP three-set match, only surpassed by his 2009 thriller against Novak Djokovic.
Scheduled to play in the men’s doubles semi-final with Casper Ruud against Brazilians Orlando Luiz and Rafael Matos, Nadal hinted he might prioritize his recovery for the singles semi-final against Duje Adjukovic on Saturday.
“I wasn’t focused the whole time. I was up 5-2, so I lost concentration for some moments,” Nadal said post-match. “I managed to hold on physically until the end. Let’s see how I am tomorrow. Today, I’m alive and in the semi-finals, which is super important. I can’t thank everyone enough for the support here in Bastad.”
