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Rafael Nadal returned to competitive action on Monday for the first time since his early exit from the French Open, winning a doubles match with Casper Ruud in Bastad.

It was Nadal’s first match since the 38-year-old lost to Alexander Zverev in the first round of Roland Garros on May 27 as part of his preparation for the Paris Olympics, AFP reported.

The Spaniard and 25-year-old Ruud won the clay court match, which was interrupted due to rain, 6-1, 6-4 against second-seeded Guido Andreozzi from Argentina and Miguel Reyes-Varela from Mexico.

Wildcard participants Nadal and Ruud, who trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, felt at home on the Swedish clay court and took the first set with two breaks.

The match was briefly interrupted in the second set at 3:3 due to rain and a second time before Nadal and Ruud brought the match to an end after 79 minutes.

“We played pretty well considering it was the first time we played together,” Nadal said.

“And yes, I’m happy to be back here after almost 20 years. I have great memories of this place from 2003, 2004 and 2005. I’m enjoying this week and hope we can continue like this.”

Nadal won the singles title in Bastad in 2005 at the age of 19.

This month he skipped Wimbledon to focus on the Olympics, which will be held at Roland Garros, where he won 14 French Open titles.

In Paris, Nadal will compete in singles and doubles against Carlos Alcaraz, the winner of the Wimbledon tournament on Sunday.

“It was an incredible day for Spanish sport,” said Nadal about Alcaraz’s victory and Spain’s triumph at the 2024 European Championship.

“The Spanish team played a fantastic European Championship from the first to the last day. All of us in the country are very proud of what they have achieved. I also had a very happy day yesterday when Carlos won Wimbledon.”

The 22-time Grand Slam champion will also play in singles, where he will face Leo Borg, the 21-year-old son of the now 68-year-old and long-retired former world number one Björn Borg.

Ruud added: “He did well and we played good doubles and it was a lot of fun, as always, sharing the court with Rafa.

“Coming from Norway, I’m more used to this than Rafa,” he said of the rain-related delays before joking about Nadal’s age.

“And he’s getting old, so I’m not sure how his body is doing having to stop and start all the time.”

Borg, currently ranked 467th in the world, lost his doubles match on Monday.