Rafael Nadal fans were subdued when he withdrew from the grass-court season. Soon after facing an opening-round defeat against Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros, the Spaniard made it clear that all of his focus will now be on attaining a victory at the Paris Olympics. For the ones who were missing him all these weeks, it is now time to be active as he gears up for another clay court tournament.

Rafael Nadal is now ready to make his return at the ATP 250 event in Bastad, Sweden. The Spaniard, who has dropped hints of marking this season as the last one in his professional career, will face Leo Borg, the son of tennis legend Bjorn Borg, on July 15, 2024. But why is the 14-time French Open champion planning to be a part of an ATP 250 event?

The 38-year-old has chosen Bastad to test his level on clay before teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics. Along with his singles run, the Spaniard also has plans to play doubles with Casper Ruud in Bastad as he aims to build confidence for the upcoming Olympic doubles competition.

“My body has been a jungle for two years. You don’t know what to expect. I wake up one day and I find a snake biting me. Another day a tiger. I have been fighting with all the things that I went through. But the dynamic is positive the last few weeks,” Nadal said after his French Open exit.

Justifying his plans to be a part of this upcoming event, he added, “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.”

Nadal and Alcaraz have the dynamics to be one of the strongest pairs in the men’s doubles competition, holding 15 Roland Garros titles together. While the Paris Olympics are set to be played on clay courts, it is evident that they are set to have an upper hand. Besides Nadal’s determination to secure a medal, there came a moment when Carlos Alcaraz had to deny participating with him at Bastad.

“It will be difficult” Rafael Nadal faces denial for a request made to Carlos Alcaraz

Rafael Nadal’s decision to partner up with Casper Ruud in the men’s doubles at Bastad came after a long set of discussions. The Spaniard’s core aim was to strengthen his chemistry with Carlos Alcaraz as they are scheduled to take part in the Paris Olympics. However, the young one didn’t really align with his idol’s request.

“Rafa and I talked about the importance of playing a doubles tournament together but it will be difficult,” Alcaraz said. This conversation took place right after Roland Garros when Alcaraz had the whole grass court season ahead of him. Even if he wanted to side with the King of Clay for an event, he couldn’t because of a hectic schedule already.

However, he assured the 14-time Roland Garros champion that he’s always open for practice sessions. “On the other hand, we can train together before the Olympic Games,” Alcaraz added.

It is time that Rafael Nadal once again steps amid the competition to test his levels for the upcoming games. As he sides with Casper Ruud, he would also hit the goal of enhancing collaborative skills.