Rising to the top one step at a time! This is exactly what Rafael Nadal is following at the Swedish Open, aiming for his first trophy since the 2022 French Open crown. Reaching the summit clash in singles after defeating Duje Ajdukovic, the Spaniard has decided to solely focus on ‘Nadal’ instead of ‘Ruudal’.

Rafa and his current doubles partner Casper Ruud were due to play the semifinal against Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos yesterday. But just minutes after the Spaniard entered his first final since 2022, he announced his withdrawal from doubles. When asked at the press conference about how Ruud felt about his decision, Nadal painted a positive picture of his young partner’s response.

The Spaniard replied that everything was cool in Ruud’s camp and he had taken Nadal’s decision positively. Additionally, the 38-year-old also said that they all were professionals, and if it was the other way around, he would be telling Ruud not to play the doubles as well. And so came to an end the era of Ruudal, Fedal’s successor.

When it comes to ship names in tennis, there’s none other like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s combined name. This power duo’s last and only doubles match at the Laver Cup 2022, aka the Swiss legend’s farewell match, is memorable. But to get in shape for the Olympics, the Spaniard had teamed up with the Norwegian to perhaps grab a trophy in the doubles category as well.

“I have Fedal and now Ruudal, so both!” Nadal had said when asked for his feelings on the new nickname and which one he preferred more. Both, it seems!

But while many have sympathized with Ruud after Rafa’s seemingly sudden decision to exit, Nadal’s decision to withdraw will have little effect on Ruud as he won’t be playing in doubles at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. On the flip side, Nadal will instead be seen in action along with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles event in Paris. So the match may have been more important to Nadal than to Ruud.

While Nadal managed to reach the summit clash in singles, Ruud had an upsetting loss in the round of 16, going down against Thiago Monteiro in straight sets. However, Nadal has had to dig deep in singles. Yesterday, he played a 4-hour match against Mariano Navone, the longest 3-set match he’s played in 15 years. Subsequently, he even shared a gloomy update afterward.

Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from doubles was long coming

Although the Spanish legend reached the summit clash in singles, it hasn’t been easy-going for him. While he started strongly in the tournament, Nadal lost a set each in the quarterfinal and the semifinal. He was on the court for 4 hours yesterday and his semifinal match lasted 2 hours and 12 minutes today.

Coming back from an injury, it has been a hectic week for Nadal and he wasn’t sure about playing today after his marathon encounter against Navone yesterday. He even said, “I was able to hold physically til the end and that’s so important for me. Let’s see how I am tomorrow, but today I am alive and I am in the semifinals – that’s super important.” 

At 38, Nadal is past his peak, both in terms of form and physicality. Moreover, injuries have taken a toll on his body this year and he is looking to take one step at a time. Thus, his doubles withdrawal from the tournament was a no-brainer, with the Paris Olympics in sight.

The Spaniard will take on the seventh seed, Nuno Borges, in the summit clash of the Swedish Open. Given Nadal’s fighting spirit, expect him to throw everything on the court in order to win the title, which would be his first this year.