Rafael Nadal and family arrive in Bastad for his first Nordea Open appearance since 2005

Rafa mania has taken over Bastad!

And who could blame those in attendance? For it was 2005 when Rafael Nadal last appeared at the popular ATP Tour clay-court stop when he won the event as the incoming Roland Garros champion.

Whether it’s his arrival or time on the practice court, content highlighting the 22-time major winner's appearance at the Nordea Open is in full swing.

Wife Mery and son Rafa Jr. are in town, too, as Nadal prepares to play his first tournament since Roland Garros. At the French Open, the Spaniard was edged out by eventual finalist Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster first-round match.

In addition to singles, Nadal is slated to team up with Norway’s Casper Ruud in doubles. This will mark his sixth tournament of the season and fourth on red dirt.

Andrey Rublev is back for a shot at a title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew due to fatigue following his Wimbledon quarterfinal exit to Daniil Medvedev.

The 38-year-old Nadal opted to skip the grass-court season, including Wimbledon, in favor of sticking to clay for his Paris Olympics preparations. A gold medalist in both singles and doubles, Nadal will join forces with Carlos Alcaraz in the French capital.