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Nadal Reaches First Final Since 2022 French Open

20 July 2024, Sweden, Bastad: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in the men's singles semi-finals of the Swedish Open. Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa
20 July 2024, Sweden, Bastad: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in the men's singles semi-finals of the Swedish Open. Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa
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Nadal Reaches First Final Since 2022 French Open

20 July 2024, Sweden, Bastad: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in the men's singles semi-finals of the Swedish Open. Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa
20 July 2024, Sweden, Bastad: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in the men's singles semi-finals of the Swedish Open. Photo: Steffen Trumpf/dpa

Rafael Nadal reached his first final since the 2022 French Open by rallying to beat Duje Ajdukovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Saturday at the clay-court Nordea Open.
After needing four hours to beat the 36th-ranked Mariano Navone in Friday's quarterfinals, Nadal had a slow start against Ajdukovic and was a break down in the second set before turning things around, The Associated Press reported.
“My opponent had one of the best backhands that I played against,” Nadal said. “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.”
Nadal will play Nuno Borges, who beat Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first tour-level final.
Nadal is playing at the tournament in Sweden for the first time since he won the title as a 19-year-old in 2005 as he prepares for the Olympic tournament on clay at Roland Garros in Paris.
The 38-year-old Nadal skipped Wimbledon as he didn’t want to switch surface to grass and then back to clay and risk injury. He has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries over the past 1 1/2 years.

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Jannik Sinner Tested Positive for a Steroid Twice but Will Not be Suspended

Aug 19 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the Rookwood Cup trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 19 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the Rookwood Cup trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
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Jannik Sinner Tested Positive for a Steroid Twice but Will Not be Suspended

Aug 19 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the Rookwood Cup trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 19 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy kisses the Rookwood Cup trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Frances Tiafoe of the United States on day seven of the Cincinnati Open. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March but will not be suspended because the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist.
The ITIA announced the case's resolution on Tuesday and said Sinner will lose the $325,000 in prize money and 400 rankings points he earned at the tournament in Indian Wells, California, where his first positive drug test happened.
“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me," Sinner said in a statement posted on social media. "I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the ITIA's anti-doping (program) and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”
Sinner won the Cincinnati Open on Monday and will be among the favorites at the US Open, which starts in New York next week. Sinner made his debut at No. 1 in the ATP rankings in June and is considered among the top stars of the new generation in men’s tennis, along with Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner, an Italian who turned 23 on Friday, won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam title. He reached the semifinals at the French Open in June and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in July, before sitting out the Paris Olympics, saying he had tonsilitis.
During the Indian Wells hard-court event in March, Sinner tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use.
Sinner tested positive again eight days later in an out-of-competition sample.
He was provisionally suspended because of those test results, but he successfully appealed and was allowed to keep competing on tour.
According to The Associated Press, Sinner said his test results happened because his fitness trainer purchased an over-the-counter spray in Italy that contained Clostebol and gave it to Sinner's physiotherapist to treat a cut on the physiotherapist's finger. The physiotherapist then treated Sinner while not wearing gloves.
The ITIA said it accepted Sinner’s explanation and determined the violation was not intentional. An independent panel held a hearing on Aug. 15 and “determined a finding of No Fault or Negligence applied in the case, resulting in no period of ineligibility,” according to the ITIA.
ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said “Sinner and his representatives fully cooperated” with her group's “thorough investigation.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency and Italy's anti-doping body both are allowed to appeal the decision.
Because of the in-competition test result, Sinner must forfeit the ranking points and prize money he earned by reaching the semifinals at Indian Wells.
“We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner’s part. We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP), which has allowed him to continue competing,” the ATP Tour said in a statement. “This has been a challenging matter for Jannik and his team, and underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments. Integrity is paramount in our sport.”