Casper Ruud’s admiration for Rafael Nadal is well known. After the ATP star paid tribute to the Mallorcan legend in Barcelona, Ruud’s sister came to the forefront, expressing his admiration for Nadal. As she gears up to watch the Spaniard’s doubles match with her brother, she brings an adorable visitor who recently debuted in Nadal’s fan club.

Nadal is all set to play his Round of 16 match against Cameron Norrie tomorrow in the Swedish Open. He defeated Bjorn Borg’s son, Leo Borg, in the opening round by 6-3, 6-4, bringing much hype about his game. Ruud’s sister shared her enthusiasm for attending Rafa’s match in her recent Instagram story. Caroline Ruud shared the picture of their family dog, who is named after the Mallorcan tennis legend. Sharing the picture, Caroline Ruud captioned it, “I have to get a picture with Rafa and the real Rafa.”

People also spotted adorable Rafa’s big smile with the entry card around his neck. Rafa has teamed up with this Norwegian ATP star to play men’s doubles in Bastad. Together they defeated Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and Guido Andreozzi two days back. Today is their quarterfinal match against France’s Theo Arribage and Roman Safiullin.

Rafa playing a doubles event at an ATP 250 would be puzzling if it wasn’t for his recent form. “Now, I need to prepare myself, I need to clear my ideas and see what’s the new calendar to try to be ready for Olympics. I can’t say anything today, but my main goal now is to play the Olympics,” he said, talking about returning to his old form before the Olympics.

While Nadal-Ruud’s partnership has shown great promise, the Norwegian expressed his delight in getting this opportunity. After all, playing with a legend like Rafael Nadal is not a regular phenomenon. 

Casper Ruud reveals why he accepted Rafa’s proposal despite limited interest in doubles

This Norwegian ATP star expressed his happiness about playing with Rafael Nadal in the Nordea Open. Before the tour, he said in a press conference, “Rafa sent a text and asked. I don’t usually play doubles, but when Rafa asks, it’s easy to say yes.” Ruud’s revelation showed his enthusiasm for playing with the Mallorcan legend, and it is hard for him to refuse a legend like Nadal.

When Ruud won the 2024 Barcelona Open, he expressed his admiration for Nadal. “It’s an incredible feeling, to be able to win this tournament is something special. I grew up watching this tournament on television and it was always a joy to see Nadal, who was the guy I idolized growing up, succeed here,” said Ruud.

Caroline Ruud’s social media showed that the entire family has deep admiration for the Spaniard. Such love from tennis lovers showcases why Rafael Nadal will always be an important name in the sport.