Rafael Nadal made his return to competitive tennis on Monday after an early exit from the French Open, teaming up with Casper Ruud to secure a doubles victory in Bastad. This match marked Nadal's first appearance since he lost to Alexander Zverev in the opening round of Roland Garros on May 27, as he gears up for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
In their rain-interrupted match, Nadal and Ruud, who received wild cards for the event, defeated the second-seeded duo of Guido Andreozzi from Argentina and Miguel Reyes-Varela from Mexico with a score of 6-1, 6-4. The pair, who trained together at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, quickly found their rhythm on the clay surface, achieving two breaks in the first set. Although play was halted twice during the second set due to rain, they managed to complete the match in 79 minutes.
Reflecting on their performance, Nadal expressed satisfaction with their debut as a team, stating, "We played quite well for it being the first time that we played together." He also shared his fond memories of Bastad, recalling his singles title win as a 19-year-old in 2005. Nadal is looking forward to the week ahead and hopes to continue their success in the tournament.
This month, Nadal opted out of Wimbledon to focus on the Olympics, which will take place at Roland Garros, where he has claimed an impressive 14 French Open titles. In Paris, he plans to compete in both singles and doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz, who recently won Wimbledon. Nadal celebrated Alcaraz's victory and Spain's Euro 2024 win, expressing pride in the accomplishments of Spanish athletes. Additionally, Nadal will also participate in singles against Leo Borg, the son of retired tennis legend Bjorn Borg, who faced a defeat in his own doubles match earlier on Monday.
ADD A COMMENT :