Rafael Nadal will play doubles with Casper Ruud at the Swedish Open later this summer, as the Spaniard prepares for his final Olympics campaign.
Last month, the 22-time Grand Slam champion stated that he would forego the grass-court season, including Wimbledon, to focus on Paris 2024.
Held on clay at Roland Garros, where he won 14 French Open titles, the 38-year-old will compete in singles and doubles at the Olympics, having previously won titles in both.
Nadal is clearly attempting to make the most of his time on the court as he looks to add to his two Olympic gold medals. Nadal is paired with Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster doubles match at the Olympics.
Earlier in the season, the former world number one was revealed as a wildcard for the Swedish Open in Bastad in the singles category. However, on Wednesday, it was revealed that he and Ruud will also compete in doubles.
The Norwegian is also playing the singles event in Bastad – where he was a beaten finalist twelve months ago – and will also look to get some valuable clay-court minutes under his belt, with the clay specialist likely a leading medal contender in Paris.
🇪🇸🤝🇳🇴 We’re happy to announce that Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud will join forces and compete in this year’s doubles tournament in Båstad.
Will they have a shot at the double’s title and do you have a suitable name on this power combo?#nordeaopen #båstad #tennis #atp pic.twitter.com/LwEpder0kP
— Nordea Open (@NordeaOpen) July 3, 2024
Nadal and Ruud squared up in the 2022 French Open final — a match won by the Spaniard – but the two are known to be close.
Ruud idolised the Spaniard as a junior and attended the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, occasionally going to Mallorca to train.
All eyes will be on how Nadal performs in both the singles and doubles events in Bastad, as it is now difficult to predict how great of a threat he will be at the Olympics, which begin later this month.
The Spaniard lost in straight sets to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev in the first round at Roland Garros in late May, but the best-of-three format may suit him more, given his lingering medical problems.
He and Alcaraz are also an unknown entity entering into the men’s doubles tournament, making it difficult to predict how they will fare versus traditional doubles.