Rafael Nadal Returns to Action at Swedish Open, Prepares for Paris Olympics

Rafael Nadal, the legendary Spanish tennis player, has returned to action at the Swedish Open after skipping Wimbledon. Nadal is preparing for the upcoming Paris Olympics, where he will participate in both singles and men's doubles.

In the Round of 16 of men's singles, Nadal will face Cameron Norrie on Thursday. He advanced to this stage after defeating Leo Bjorg, son of Bjorn Bjorg, in straight sets in the previous round.

Nadal will also be partnering with Carlos Alcaraz in Paris. In the men's doubles category, he has teamed up with Casper Ruud. Nadal and Ruud defeated Theo Arribage and Roman Safiullin in the quarter-final, sealing a 6-4 3-6 12-10 win.

During the on-court interview after the match, Ruud was asked if Alcaraz had contacted him for tips. Ruud quipped that Alcaraz was probably busy celebrating his Wimbledon victory.

Nadal praised Ruud for their good partnership. He said, "It was an emotional match. Not easy to be on court after losing singles, but Casper played so well. Well done for him. We had some fun. A good level of tennis. We enjoyed it. The crowd was amazing. Full crowd in a doubles match. That’s fantastic."

Ruud had lost to Thiago Monteiro in his Round of 16 clash before the doubles match, losing 3-6 3-6 against the Brazilian.

This is likely to be Nadal's final Olympics, with 2024 expected to be his swansong year. If he clinches gold in Paris, it will be even more special as it will be held on the clay courts of Roland Garros, where he has won the French Open a record 14 times. However, age has been catching up with him, and he already has an Olympic singles gold and also a doubles one, from 2008 and 2016 respectively.

Tags: #RafaelNadal, #SwedishOpen, #ParisOlympics, #Tennis, #Men'sSingles