Rafael Nadal is celebrating his latest triumph in Bastad, the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 (in 2h 12m) achieved this Saturday against the meritorious Duje Ajdukovic, who despite his status as a pseudo-novice (130th in the world) has beaten the giant from start to finish; the Balearic player is celebrating, of course, his return to a final, a level he had not reached for more than two years (Roland Garros); he had also not managed to string together four successive triumphs since the same date, when his abdominal muscles forced him to stop in the semi-finals of Wimbledon; and the Mallorcan is also smiling because this Sunday (15.00, Movistar+) he will face the Portuguese Nuno Borges (51st on the list, 6-3, 6-4 against Thiago Agustín Tirante) in search of a trophy that has been denied to him since that last coronation in Paris. There is, however, no better news for him than that of his physical condition. Right now, his body is reacting positively. And that is gold.
“It was a very tough match. The opponent had one of the best backhands I have ever played against. I was trying to send him to the back of the net, but it was very difficult. In the end I found a way to survive and to return to a final after a long time, so it is good news. I am very happy,” said the Spanish tennis player after beating Ajdukovic in another day of towing and with twists, without the length of the previous one – the four hours invested to beat the Argentine Mariano Navone – but equally difficult. Set and break against him, Nadal has managed to turn the situation around again, and little by little he is rediscovering all those intangibles that are so hard to acquire and that, as basic as they are, have a transcendental relevance. Everything is as simple (and as complex) as playing, competing, having continuity. Of course, with a head: the doubles that he was to play next with Casper Ruud, ruled out.
“I am in this process of recovering many things that I have lost due to my injuries and the operation a year ago. And I am fighting. Matches like this one and yesterday’s [contra Navone] help me improve, but I will try to play a little better tomorrow,” says the player from Manacor, knowing that the margin for growth in the game is very generous —linearity, timing and positions, above all—, but at the same time he is rediscovering that eternal feeling of knowing how to unblock the duels, as well as that of playing day after day. He has already linked three consecutive commitments—the debut against Leo Borg was on Tuesday, so he enjoyed a day of rest in the transition to the second stage—and his chassis is not suffering. Unbeatable news, then, for a competitor who at 38 years old can find in every maneuver (and in every intervention) an unwanted ending.
Aware of the risks and accepting the demanding tolls that veteran status demands, Nadal continues and has already reached 72 finals on clay throughout his career. However, before he seals his entry, Adjukovic thinks he has little to lose, or much to gain in fact. And his performance, silent and sober from start to finish, is as discreet as his record. The ATP record conveys that he has only achieved five victories on the circuit – in the 13 matches he has played so far – and that he has not managed to cross the qualifying barrier to access the tournament draws; he therefore frequents that anonymous sphere of the challengerswhere so many struggle daily in search of access to top-100 and, above all, a professional future.
The young 23-year-old Croatian walks slowly and unfazed around the court, and from his magnificent height (1.88m) he is taking advantage of Nadal’s fatigue. The Mallorcan, 15 years older than his rival, feels from top to bottom the four hours invested the previous afternoon and comes up against a very damaging backhand that surprises him. He loses the first set and gives up the first service turn in the second, but Adjukovic – present in only one ATP tournament this year, Houston – feels the weight of the situation and his reliability begins to wane; at the net you can see the seams, he is naive – misjudging a couple of lobs and letting a ball go through that was clearly going in – and tactically he is disorganized. It is there where Nadal definitely takes the reins and recovers ground, but not without another disconnection. In the third set, from 3-0 to 3-3, although the final push calmed the Croatian’s blows and guided him towards the end of the tournament.
His mind, as he himself points out, comes and goes. There are too many days without playing. He has not yet reached cruising speed, but in exchange he embraces another final – of relative weight, fourth category (250), but a final in the end – and enjoys an excellent novelty: his battered physique is responding to the efforts. And he does so on the threshold of his last Games.
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