Rafael Nadal warms up for Olympics with doubles win in Bastad – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Rafa Nadal made his return to competitive tennis at the Swedish Open in Bastad on Monday, playing doubles alongside Casper Ruud of Norway. The duo secured a convincing 6-1 6-4 victory against the second-seeded pair of Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Reyes-Varela on the clay courts.


This marks Nadal’s first tournament since May, as he gears up for his pursuit of another Olympic medal at the upcoming Paris Games. The 22-times Grand Slam champion had previously triumphed in the singles event at the Swedish Open back in 2005 when he was just 19 years old.

In preparation for the Olympics, Nadal made the decision to forgo Wimbledon and instead focus on training on the clay courts of Roland Garros, where he has achieved an unprecedented 14 French Open singles titles throughout his illustrious career.

“Personally, I am happy and I think it was a good match. We played quite well in the first time we played together and I’m happy to be back here after almost 20 years,” the 38-year-old said on court.

“I have great memories from this place from 2003, 2004 and 2005, so I am enjoying this week and hopefully can keep going.”

Nadal, the renowned Spanish tennis player, is set to compete in both singles and doubles events at the upcoming tournaments. In the singles draw at Bastad, he is scheduled to face Leo Borg, the offspring of the legendary Swedish player Bjorn Borg, in the opening round.

Nadal, a former Olympic champion who clinched the singles gold medal in 2008 and a doubles gold in 2016, will join forces with Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles competition at Paris. Alcaraz recently triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon, showcasing his prowess on the court.

During Nadal’s doubles match on Monday, play was interrupted on two occasions due to inclement weather. This prompted a playful remark from Casper Ruud, the current world number nine in singles, who took note of the rain delays.

“He is getting old so I’m not sure how his body feels when he has to stop and start all the time, but he did well,” said the Norwegian.