Rafael Nadal practices with Bjorn Borg's son Leo ahead of comeback at Nordea Open in Bastad

Rafael Nadal returned to Bastad to participate in the Nordea Openamid much fanfare. The Spaniard linked up with tennis legend Bjorn Borg's son Leo in Sweden for practice.

Nadal played multiple tournaments on clay in preparation for the French Open this year. He participated in the Barcelona Open, Madrid Open, and the Italian Open before taking to Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris after two years.

However, the Spaniard faced an anti-climactic end to his French Open run as he was knocked out in the first round for the first time in his career at Rolland Garros. He was up against eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev and could not keep up with the German.

Following his exit in Paris, Nadal was expected to gear up for Wimbledon. However, the two-time champion announced that he would not play in the grasscourt slam, keeping his Olympics participation in mind.

The upcoming Olympic Games will be held in Paris and the tennis event will take place on the clay courts of Roland Garros. The 14-time French Open champion will participate in the event and did not want to play on a different surface by switching to grass for Wimbledon.

To continue playing on clay, Nadal decided to play in an ATP 250 tournament in Sweden, the Nordea Open. He arrived with his family in Bastad on 10 July and has been practicing regularly. On Friday, he practiced with Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg's son Leo.

The 21-year-old is ranked 467th in the world. He will also be participating in the tournament on his home soil. Leo has been a member of Nadal's academy in Mallorca, having joined in 2020.

The Nordea Open is set to feature defending champion Andrey Rublev and Cameron Norrie among others. Nadal is also expected to play doubles with Casper Ruud in preparation for the Olympics where he will partner compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.

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Bjorn Borg's son Leo has idolized Rafael Nadal since he was young

Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup 2019.

Bjorn Borg's son Leo has idolized the 22-time Grand Slam winner from an early age. In an interview with MARCA in 2021, Leo said:

“I met Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup because my father is the captain of the European team. He was always my idol since I was little... I am living and training in Stockholm and I have my coach in Sweden, but I go to Mallorca from time to time."

Interestingly, Leo achieved his first tour-level win at the Nordea Open last year. He will participate in the tournament this year along with Nadal.