Nadal Preps and Ruud triumph 6-1, 6-4 over Andreozzi and Reyes-Varela, advancing to the second round
Rafa Nadal prepares for his Olympic campaign with a doubles victory at the Swedish Open in Bastad on Monday, marking his return to competition since May.
Teaming up with Norwegian Casper Ruud, the 22-time Grand Slam champion secured a 6-1, 6-4 win over second seeds Guido Andreozzi and Miguel Reyes-Varela on the clay courts of Sweden.
This appearance at the ATP 250 event is Nadal’s first since his singles victory as a 19-year-old in 2005. Opting to skip Wimbledon, he focuses on preparing for the Olympics on the familiar clay of Roland Garros, where he holds a record 14 French Open singles titles.
“I am personally happy and I think it was a good match. We played quite well for our first time playing together, and I’m pleased to be back here after almost 20 years,” Nadal remarked courtside.
Having fond memories of Bastad from his earlier years, Nadal looks forward to the week ahead with optimism. He is also set to compete in singles, facing Leo Borg in the first round, son of Swedish legend Bjorn Borg.
At the Paris Olympics, Nadal aims for further glory, teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz in doubles after winning singles gold in 2008 and doubles gold in 2016.
Despite rain interruptions during Monday’s match, Ruud jokingly commented on Nadal’s ability to handle breaks, stating, “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.”
