Rafael Nadal Upsets Top Seed, Advances to Nordea Open ...
One of the greatest players in the history of men's tennis is making a push for yet another title, well into his playing dotage.
Rafael Nadal, 38, who has battled an unlucky spate of injury issues during what's mostly been a lost 2024 season, vanquished the No. 5-seeded Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 during a Thursday second-round match at the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden.
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The 22-time Grand Slam champ has advanced to only his second ATP quarterfinal this year. He had fallen 1-4 in the second set, following a nail-biter finish in the first, but came back to survive and advance.
In the first round of the tournament, Nadal bested Leo Borg, son of 11-time Grand Slam champ Bjorn Borg, 6-3, 6-4.
"Great feelings. I've been a while without playing on the Tour, since Roland Garros. To have the chance to compete well against a great player like Cameron is a great feeling," Nadal said during an on-court conversation after the win, per ATPTour.com.
Nadal has only been healthy enough to suit up for 13 tour-level matches thus far in 2024. He also missed most of the 2023 season with a hip injury incurred during the 2023 Australian Open, which ultimately caused him to withdraw from the Indian Wells and Miami Masters in late February. He would not return until the 2024 Brisbane International, where he advanced to the quarterfinal. He suffered a muscle injury during that round, and ultimately sat out the Australian Open. Nadal sat out the entire grass-court season, including Wimbledon.
"I think I played in some moments good tennis, in some moments I need to play a little bit more aggressive, but that is part of the journey today," Nadal noted. "I haven't been competing very often, so matches and victories like today help. To be in rhythm the whole match and hold the pressure on the opponent the whole match, that's something that I need to improve, because I didn't play enough."
Nadal's record in 2024 has improved to 9-5 on the year. He'll square off against fourth-seeded Mariano Navone, ranked No. 36 in the world, in the quarterfinal round. Nadal previously won the event 19 years ago, when the Spaniard was a young star still on the rise.
"He's a player that is playing so well this year, winning a lot of matches, especially on clay," Nadal said regarding Navone. "It is the quarter-finals of an historic event on the Tour like Bastad. You can't expect an easy opponent. I am just focused on keeping improving every single day, trying to play every day. I know it is going to be a tough one, but I really hope to play good tennis and give myself chances."
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