'Today I’m alive' - Rafael Nadal reacts after surviving four-hour thriller against Mariano Navone at 2024 Bastad Open

Rafael Nadal has reached his first semi-final since Wimbledon 2022.

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal faced Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Bastad Open. The 22-time Grand Slam champion lost the first set 6-7 (2-7) in one hour and 25 minutes. However, the King of Clay exhibited his experience and elite mentality to recover and win the match 6-7, 7-5, 7-5 in four hours and a minute.

With the win, Nadal has also secured a spot in the last four in Bastad. Interestingly, it’s his first semi-final since the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where he was scheduled to face Australia’s Nick Kyrgios. Nadal didn’t face the Aussie, as he was forced to retire from the tournament due to an injury.

Interestingly, this was also the 38-year-old’s second-longest three-set match of all time. He played his longest best-of-three match against Novak Djokovic in 2009, which lasted four hours and four minutes.

After defeating Mariano Navone in a marathon match, the Spaniard was asked about how he managed to stay focused on long matches.

Nadal stated that he wasn’t focused the whole time as he gave away his 5-2 lead in the third set. However, he added that he’s looking forward to playing in the next round as he’s getting decent support from the crowd in Sweden.

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“No I wasn’t focused during the whole time. I was up 5-2, so I lost for some moments the concentration. I was able to hold physically till the end. Let’s see how I am tomorrow. Today I’m alive and I’m in the semifinals. So that’s super important. I can’t thank you enough for all the support here in Bastad,” said Nadal.

In the semifinals, he will face Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic, who made his way into the main draw via qualifiers. Apart from that, the Spaniard will also be seen in doubles action as he will team up with Casper Ruud to face the third-seeded Brazilian pair of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos in the doubles semifinals.

Norwegian tennis star Casper Ruud was eliminated in the first round at Bastad by Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 6-3. Meanwhile, top seed Andrey Rublev also suffered a shocking elimination by Argentina’s Thiago Agustín Tirante, who will face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the semifinals.

Nadal will also be playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He’ll play in the men’s singles event and will also participate in the men’s doubles with compatriot and four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz.

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