Rafael Nadal returned to competition for the first time since his French Open exit on Monday, teaming with Casper Ruud for a doubles victory in Bastad. It was Nadal’s first match since the 38-year-old lost to Alexander Zverev in the opening round at Roland Garros on May 27 as he prepared for the Paris Olympics. The Spaniard and Ruud, 25, won 6-1 6-4 in the rain-interrupted clay-court match against second-seeded Guido Andreozzi of Argentina and Miguel Reyes-Varela of Mexico.
Wild card entries Nadal and Ruud, who trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, looked at home on the Swedish clay, racing through the first set with two breaks.
The game was suspended at 3-3 in the second due to rain and briefly for the second time before Nadal and Ruud ended the match in the 79th minute.
“We played very well for being the first time we played together,” said Nadal.
“And yes, I’m happy to be back here after almost 20 years. I have great memories of this place from 2003, 2004, 2005. I’m enjoying this week and I hope we can continue.”
Nadal won the Bastad singles title at age 19 in 2005.
This month he skipped Wimbledon to focus on the Olympics, which will be held at Roland Garros, where he won 14 French Open titles.
In Paris, Nadal intends to compete in singles and doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, winner of the Wimbledon tournament on Sunday.
“It was an incredible day for Spanish sport,” said Nadal of Alcaraz’s victory and Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph.
“The Spanish team played an incredible Euro Cup from the first to the last day. We are very proud, the whole country, of what they did. Yesterday was also a very happy day, with Carlos’ victory at Wimbledon.”
The 22-time Grand Slam champion also plays in the singles, where he will face Leo Borg, the 21-year-old son of former world number one Bjorn Borg, now 68.
Ruud added: “He did well and we played good doubles and it was great fun sharing the court with Rafa as always.
“I’m more used to it than Rafa, being from Norway,” he said of the rain delays before joking about Nadal’s age.
“And he’s getting older, so I’m not sure how the body feels when he has to stop and start all the time.”
Borg, currently ranked 467th in the world, lost her doubles match on Monday.
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