Welcome to Destination National Bank Open powered by STM. Every week, we will keep you updated on all the action on the ATP Tour as we build towards the National Bank Open in Montreal, which takes place from Aug. 3 to 12.
Days until the National Bank Open: 11
On-Court Action
For a few days by the banks of the Kattegat, the King of Clay was reborn.
Rafael Nadal was back in Bastad, Sweden last week, competing at his first event since bowing out in the first round of Roland-Garros in May as he prepares to compete at the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics, being held at his favourite venue in Paris.
There were plenty of positive signs for the Spaniard last week in Sweden as he reached his first final on tour since winning the French Open in 2022.
However, it was not a classic Nadal domination on clay by any standards.
He opened up his campaign with a solid win over Leo Borg, son of the previous King of Clay Bjorn Borg, and followed it up with an impressive win over fifth seed Cameron Norrie.
Read also: 2024 National Bank Open Montreal Players - Meet the ATP Top 10
That’s when things got tough. In the quarter-finals, Nadal had to dig deep against fourth seed Mariano Navone. The match lasted a couple of seconds under four hours, making it one of the longest best-of-three matches in Nadal’s storied career. Despite letting a 5-2 lead slip away in the third set, he was able to fight into the semis.
Things did not get much easier there against Duje Ajdukovic of Croatia. Nadal had to rally from a set down but once again was able to pull out the win to reach his first final in over two years.
After back-to-back three-setters, the 38-year-old was physically drained in the final and lost in straight sets to Nuno Borges.
Even though the tournament ended in a defeat for the King of Clay, there were plenty of moments where he displayed the dominant level of tennis fans are used to. More than his physical skills, there can be no question that Nadal’s fighting spirit is as powerful as ever.
Stories to Watch
All eyes will be back on Roland-Garros starting this weekend as the long-awaited tennis event at the 2024 Summer Olympics gets underway on Saturday in Paris.
Seven of the world’s Top 10 will be competing, including the entire Top 5.
Jannik Sinner leads the field as the world No. 1, although it would be fair to say that Carlos Alcaraz heads into the Olympics as the title favourite, having won the last two majors including at this same venue last month.
Novak Djokovic, the projected second seed between Sinner and Alcaraz, has made no secret of his desire to win this event. An Olympic gold medal is the only thing missing from his trophy case (although he does have a bronze from Beijing 2008).
Read also: Things We Learned at Wimbledon
While Nadal’s impressive run in Bastad inspires confidence heading into Paris, the amount of time spent on court does raise some questions about how physically fit he will be at the Olympics.
However, after the Bastad final, the Spaniard insisted that there was “no damage” to his body, so expecting the King of Clay to be ready to go come the weekend.
The ATP's best return to Montreal this summer for the National Bank Open August 3 to 12, 2024 at IGA Stadium. 2024 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!
Feature Photo: Linda Carlsson/Nordea Open
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