Nadal's confidence grows: "I've got a really good feeling about it".

Rafael Nadal is back.

After a first comeback that left us a little disappointed, the Spaniard is back in action.

Having put grass to one side, he has been training on clay for some time now, and this preparation seems to be paying off.

After two matches, 'Rafa' already seems to be performing well. Although he's not yet back to his best, the king of clay brilliantly overcame Cameron Norrie on Thursday (6-4, 6-4) to set himself on the road to the final in Bastad.

He will face Navone in the quarters and the winner of the match between Monteiro and Adjukovic in the semi-finals. Opponents not to be taken lightly, but clearly within his reach.

Asked how he felt on the day, the man hoping to win a medal in Paris in less than two weeks' time explained: "It's been a while since I played on the circuit, since the French Open. Having the chance to play well against a great player like Cameron is a great feeling.

I played some good tennis at times, but I could also have played more aggressively.

That's part of the journey and part of progress. I haven't been competing very often recently.

Matches and victories like today (Thursday) will help me to stay in the rhythm and put pressure on my opponent throughout a match.

That's something I need to improve because I haven't been playing enough."