Rafael Nadal responds when asked how close he is to 100 per cent after beating Cam Norrie in Swedish Open

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Rafael Nadal commented on how feels about his level of play after reaching the Swedish Open quarter-finals.

Many were keen to see where the 37-year-old’s fitness was when he arrived in Bastad ahead of the tournament.

This is especially the case given the veteran wants to get some matches under his belt before returning to Roland Garros for the Olympic Games.

So far the Spaniard has made a promising start as he continues his campaign in both singles and doubles.

What did Rafael Nadal say about his form at the Swedish Open?

Nadal began his Swedish Open campaign by defeating Leo Borg in straight sets.

He faced a step up in class when he took on Cam Norrie on Thursday, which gave an even better indicator of his level. Nadal recorded a 6-4, 6-4 win and he thinks his level is improving each day.

“I just know that tomorrow I played better than the first day, and tomorrow I need to play better than today. That’s my journey, I just need to keep improving things,” he said.

“Spending time on court helps to keep improving and especially competition matches and winning helps to give yourself the calm to do what you need to do in the right moments.

“All the things when you are winning matches in a row and playing a lot, all the things come automatically. Today you need to think more and fight more to make all these things happen and that’s what I am doing.”

Rafael Nadal is searching for his first title in over two years at the Swedish Open

Nadal last played in Bastad in 2005, when he went on to win the title. 19 years later the 22-time grand Slam champion has returned and is three matches away from winning the title once again.

Against Norrie Nadal won 74% of points behind his first serve, which allowed him to get in position to dictate the rally.

Despite going 4-1 down in the second set, he reeled off five successive games to seal the win and defeat the Brit for the fifth time and keep his hopes alive of winning the title.

“I think I played in some moments, good tennis, in some moments I need to play a little bit more aggressive, but that is part of the journey today,” Nadal said post-match.

“I haven’t been competing very often, so matches and victories like today help. To be in rhythm the whole match and hold the pressure on the opponent the whole match, that’s something that I need to improve, because I didn’t play enough.”