Nadal continued his preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by coming from a set down to reach the final of the Swedish Open.

The Spaniard will either play Thiago Agustin Tirante or Nuno Borges before traveling to France to try and claim a third Olympic gold medal.

Nadal's last ATP Tour final came at Roland Garros two years ago, where the Olympic tennis tournament will be taking place.

Nadal's semi-final test came just a day after a gruelling four-hour win over Mariano Navone, the second-longest three-set match of his career.

The Spaniard was able to complete his latest victory in two hours and 12 minutes but insisted that Ajdukovic posed a difficult opponent on Centre Court.

“I think it was a tough match," Nadal said. "My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against.

"He came here with a lot of confidence. I think I was trying to push him back.

"It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.”

Ajdukovic started the faster of the two, winning a break point early before racing into a three-game lead.

While Nadal found his rhythm, the Croatian was able to hold his serve to take the first set with relative ease.

Nadal, a 22-time Major winner, learned his lesson from his slow start, trading blows with Ajdukovic and earning a quick break of his own in the third game.

Ajdukovic would rally, but another break point from Nadal in the seventh game proved decisive as he saw out the set to take it to a decider.

It looked as though the Spaniard would ease into the final as he led 3-0, but Ajdukovic fought back, going on to win the next three games.

Nadal, however, used all his experience to regain his composure before finding a crucial break in the eighth game, ending the contest on serve as his opponent's deft touch from the back of the court found the net.

His second as a wildcard after Hamburg in 2015, Nadal has now reached his 72nd ATP event final on clay.

It is the second-most of any player on the surface in the Open Era, trailing only Guillermo Vilas (76) over that period.