Rafael Nadal lands in Sweden, ahead of return to the tour
Rafael Nadal has arrived in Sweden for the Nordea Open, which he hopes will provide for effective Olympic Games preparation.
Michael Baucher / Panoramic
22-time Major champion Rafael Nadal has arrived in Sweden, ahead of his participation in the Nordea Open event – an ATP 250.
Nadal has not played a professional match since his loss (6-3, 7-6, 6-3) to Alexander Zverev in the first round at Roland Garros, at the end of May, but the 22-time major champion is keen to gain some key preparation ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Nordea Open represents such an appealing opportunity to round into form, with Jannik Sinner withdrawing from the event due to fatigue, leaving Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev as the top 2 seeds. The Spanish superstar has not participated in Bastad since his title victory in 2005, vs Tomas Berdych, just a month after Nadal claimed his first of fourteen Roland Garros titles.
I give myself time to see how I will feel after the Olympic Games and then we will see what will happen, what decisions I will make.
Rafael Nadal on playing in 2025
The 14-time Roland Garros champion has repeatedly expressed his desire to compete at the last Olympic Games of his career, which will be held at Roland Garros itself, and cited it as a reason as to why he had to withdraw from Wimbledon.
Nadal is still unsure if he will continue his legendary career into 2025, and he hopes his participation in the Paris Olympics will provide him with key information about his ability to remain competitive at the elite level, as he stated in a recent L’Equipe article.
“I feel like I’m finding the pleasure of playing again, having fun,” he said. “I want to give myself a chance to see if my physique remains at this level or if it is only a temporary moment and that it starts to go wrong again.
“I give myself time to see how I will feel after the Olympic Games and then we will see what will happen, what decisions I will make.”
