Rafa Mania takes over Bastad! Spaniard arrives with family ahead of popular clay-court tournament

Former World No.1 Rafael Nadal was spotted in the city of Bastad, Sweden for the upcoming Bastad Open, which begins right after Wimbledon and is scheduled to run from July 15-21, 2024.

The Spaniard has been dealing with various injuries over the past year, prompting him to skip the 2024 Australian Open and Wimbledon. Nadal did compete at Roland Garros for presumably the last time, although his campaign was cut short after he was ousted by Alexander Zverev in the opening round.

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Nadal makes appearance in Bastad after almost two decades

The 22-time Grand Slam champion last appeared at the popular ATP Tour clay-court tournament when he won the event as the incoming Roland Garros champion in 2005. Nonetheless, he was seen interacting with Bastad Open officials soon after his arrival at the tournament site, alongside wife Mery and son Rafa Jr.

In addition to singles, Nadal is slated to team up with Norway’s Casper Ruud in doubles. The Bastad Open will be the Spaniard's sixth tournament of the season and fourth on red dirt. The 38-year-old decided to skip the grass-court season, including Wimbledon, in favor of sticking to clay as he prepares for the upcoming Olympic Games. Having won a gold medal in both singles and doubles, Nadal will team with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the men's doubles event in Paris this summer.