One thing at a time and that done well! This is exactly what Rafael Nadal is following. The Spanish legend pulled out of his doubles semifinal at the Swedish Open after reaching the summit clash in singles. Nadal was due to play his last 4 match with partner, Casper Ruud, later today. However, he won his singles semifinal against Duje Ajdukovic and subsequently decided to focus on his singles commitments.
Nadal was asked about how Ruud felt after he decided to withdraw from doubles to focus on the singles final tomorrow. The Spaniard replied that everything was cool in Ruud’s camp and he had taken Nadal’s decision positively. Additionally, the 38-year-old also said that they all were professionals, and if it was the other way around, he would be telling Ruud not to play the doubles as well. While Nadal managed to reach the summit clash in singles, Ruud had an upsetting loss in the round of 16, going down against Thiago Monteiro in straight sets.
Nadal’s decision to withdraw will have little effect on Ruud as he won’t be playing in doubles at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. On the flip side, Nadal will be seen in action along with Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles event in Paris. Thus, the match was more important to Nadal than to Ruud.
However, Nadal has had to dig deep in singles. Yesterday, he played a 4-hour match against Mariano Navone, the longest 3-set match he’s played in 15 years. Subsequently, he even shared a gloomy update after his match yesterday.
Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from doubles was coming
Although the Spanish legend reached the summit clash in singles, it hasn’t been easy-going for him. While he started strongly in the tournament, Nadal lost a set each in the quarterfinal and the semifinal. He was on the court for 4 hours yesterday and his semifinal match lasted 2 hours and 12 minutes today.
Coming back from an injury, it has been a hectic week for Nadal and he wasn’t sure about playing today after his marathon encounter against Navone yesterday. He even said, “I was able to hold physically til the end and that’s so important for me. Let’s see how I am tomorrow, but today I am alive and I am in the semifinals – that’s super important.”
At 38, Nadal is past his peak, both in terms of form and physicality. Moreover, injuries have taken a toll on his body this year and he is looking to take one step at a time. Thus, his doubles withdrawal from the tournament was a no-brainer, with the Paris Olympics in sight.
The Spaniard will take on the seventh seed, Nuno Borges, in the summit clash of the Swedish Open. Given Nadal’s fighting spirit, expect him to throw everything on the court in order to win the title, which would be his first this year.
