Rafael Nadal is back in action! And what a comeback it has been. The Spanish tennis legend took a break from the courts for over a month after an unexpected first-round defeat to Alexander Zverev at the French Open. While he decided to skip Wimbledon to avoid the challenges of transitioning surfaces, Nadal made his much-anticipated return on the clay courts at the Swedish Open. And his latest match was everything his fans had been waiting for.
Rafael Nadal won the first two matches of his Swedish Open run in straight sets but the quarter-final match against Mariano Navone was not a cakewalk. But in classic Nadal style, he displayed his signature blend of tenacity, precision, and sheer willpower. This mesmerized several tennis fans, as they expressed their sentiments on X. One user highlighted his willpower and wrote “Nadal, at age 38, is grinding away in the quarterfinals of a 250 event with Mariano Navone in Bastad. Up a break at 3-2 in set three, we are already at 3:17 minutes on the clock. Absolutely insane.
Losing his first set, the ‘King of Clay’ surprised many especially because he was playing against a player whose debut was not long ago. However, he ultimately clinched the match in three sets 6(2)-7(7), 7-5, 7-5. But as soon as the above tweet gained traction, fans across the globe took to their X accounts and highlighted how great of a player Nadal has been.
Fans exhilarated over Rafael Nadal’s hard-fought win
As soon as the above Tweet went viral, several fans joined in to express their delight over Nadal’s win. One of the supporters was Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert. “What a battle Vamos-Rafa vs Navone 3 hrs 9 mins 2all in the 3rd Bastad quarters,” he wrote.
Another fan reciprocated the sentiments and wrote, “He needs answers on what his body can tolerate and he’s willing to find out at this point. Not taking it easy.” Similar sentiments were shown by another fan. “He needs it to knock off the rust.”
One more fan joined in to highlight the significance of the match. “This is now the longest best-of-3 match that Nadal has played in 15 years.” Similar reaction were from yet another user who wrote, “Nadal looks really good physically, moving well. Navone is a top 40 player.”
As Nadal continues his run, it will be interesting to see if he can continue the trajectory and win the title at the Swedish Open.
