Spanish tennis king Rafael Nadal will play the Nordea Open, Båstad, this summer. The former world number one has no less than 22 Grand Slam titles, 92 ATP titles, two Olympic golds and a Davis Cup trophy at home. The last time Rafael Nadal visited Båstad was in 2003, 2004 and then came to take home the title in 2005 when he defeated the Czech Tomas Berdych in the final.
The tournament’s CEO, Christer Hult, describes this as: ”It is very big that one of the best tennis players of all time is playing the Nordea Open. We have had a good relationship for many years and are in constant contact. This year it was a good fit with his preparations for Olympics in Paris.”
The Paris Olympics will be played at Roland Garros and the tennis tournament will begin on July 27.
Hult continues: “When I found out that Rafa was not going to play Wimbledon, that he was planning to play the Olympics, I saw an opportunity and contacted his manager again. It only took a week of phone calls and discussions before we came to the conclusion that both he and his entire team are looking forward to coming back to Båstad.”
Rafael Nadal says in a written comment: “I am happy to be able to play in Båstad this summer where I won one of my first ATP titles. I have great memories from there and am really looking forward to coming back and playing in front of the Swedish fans.”
Nadal is awarded a wildcard and will be unseeded, which means he will play his first match as early as Monday or Tuesday, July 15-16.
”We expect further increased demand for tickets to see the world star,” states the organizer.
Ticket sales have been record high this year. At the end of February, the same number of tickets had been sold as in the middle of May last year. When it then became clear that world number one Jannik Sinner would come to Båstad, ticket sales skyrocketed despite the fact that the tournament was already largely sold out from Thursday to Sunday’s final. World number six Andrey Rublev and world number seven Casper Ruud are also ready for this summer’s star-studded starting field.
According to Christer Hult, Rafael Nadal’s participation means a significant boost both for the tournament and Båstad as a destination. The real estate company, Båstadtennis och hotell AB, which is the owner of the tournament, places great value on getting him here and has contributed to the highest degree to make this possible. In addition, sponsors and private individualsm, with a big heart for tennis, have also contributed to making this possible.
”Due to the strong starting field and one of the biggest tennis stars of all time playing the Nordea Open, Båstad will get great exposure and attention globally. It will be a fantastic tennis party this summer,” concludes Hult.
Nadal’s involvement in tournaments ensures significant global attention, highlighting his status as one of the most influential and popular tennis players worldwide.
In addition to Sweden, where the Nordea Open is broadcast July 8-21 on TV4 Play, TV4 Tennis and TV4 Sportkanalen, the Nordea Open is broadcast in more than 90 countries with an estimated 40-50 million viewers.
