Tennis fans are all saying the same thing after Rafael Nadal now confirms plans for after Wimbledon

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It has been confirmed when exactly Rafael Nadal will return to tennis after Wimbledon.

With the 2024 Olympics at Roland Garros on the horizon, the great Spaniard decided to skip the grass court Grand Slam and continue practicing on clay ahead of the global sports event.

The 37-year-old has expressed his desire to play one final Olympic Games having claimed a singles gold medal in Beijing 2008 and doubles gold with Marc Lopez in Rio 2016.

Nadal is keen to get some practice in ahead of playing doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz in Paris and he will do just that at the Bastad Open in Sweden.

What have fans said about the latest Rafael Nadal announcement?

In June, it was announced that Nadal will play singles at the Bastad Open in July to boost his preparation for the Olympics.

However, the tournament has now confirmed he will play doubles alongside three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud.

Nadal will play both singles and doubles at the event and is hopeful playing alongside a top 10 player can help prepare him to fight for a medal alongside Alcaraz in the French capital.

Fans are delighted with the news as social media platform X user @extratopspin said: “Good for the game. Hope to see more of this. Feels like there’s momentum building,” while @Nina_Brtt wrote: “What a team!!! Great prep for Paris 2024.”

@AshishN28754690 tweeted: “What an amazing combination,” while @jnnelytnns added: “Playing with his idol!! Amazing.”

What are Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud’s doubles records?

Nadal and Ruud are set to play doubles together for the first time when they arrive in Bastad.

The former World number one is a handy doubles player, having won 64.5% of his matches and has 11 titles to go with his 92 championships won as a singles player.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion will go searching for his second doubles Olympic gold medal alongside the French Open and Wimbledon champion, Alcaraz. Ruud on the other hand, does not boast a doubles record remotely similar to that of Nadal.

The Norwegian player has contested 54 doubles matches, but has won just 22 and has yet to win a title. He will aim to break that duck later this month when he pairs up with Nadal in Sweden.