Rafael Nadal: The 6 men to win doubles titles with Spanish great – as Casper Ruud aims to become No 7
All eyes have been on one doubles pair at the Swedish Open in Bastad: ‘Ruudal’.
The partnership between tennis icon Rafael Nadal and his mentee Casper Ruud has been a successful one so far, with the pair now into the semi-final.
Nadal and Ruud are potentially just two wins from victory, and triumph at the ATP 250 event would be a 12th ATP doubles crown for the Spaniard.
And Ruud would join an exclusive club, becoming just the seventh man to partner the great Spaniard to a doubles triumph.
Alex Lopez Moron – one title
A former world No 100 in singles and No 63 in doubles, Lopez Moron is not a name most will be familiar with – but he holds a special place in tennis history.
It was he who partnered with Nadal to win his first doubles title on the ATP Tour over two decades ago, at the 2003 Croatia Open in Umag.
Nadal and Lopez Moron downed Todd Perry and Thomas Shimada in straight sets for the title.
Tommy Robredo – two titles
One of just two men to win multiple doubles titles with Nadal, Robredo was a semi-regular partner for his compatriot across parts of the 2000s.
Robredo and Nadal first paired up to win the Maharashtra Open in 2004, beating Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in three sets.
Four years later, they again combined to win a Masters 1000 title at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, defeating Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles.
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Albert Costa – one title
A former Roland Garros champion much like his partner, Costa paired up with Nadal to win the Qatar Open title in 2005.
The Spaniards battled their way to victory in the final, fending off Andrei Pavel and Mikhail Youzhny in three sets.
Marc Lopez – five titles
The most successful partner of his career, Nadal won five titles with Lopez – who now supports the 22-time major champion in a coaching capacity.
Nadal and Lopez have twice won the Qatar Open, triumphing in 2009 and 2011, while also claiming two Indian Wells titles – in 2010 and 2012.
However, there is no doubt their most notable success came at Rio 2016.
The Spanish pair struck Olympic Games gold eight years ago, defeating Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau in the final.
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Juan Monaco – one title
A former top-10 singles star, Argentine Monaco is the only non-Spanish player to win a doubles title with Nadal across his career.
The pair were beaten in the 2013 Chile Open final but defeated Julian Knowle and Philipp Oswald in straight sets to win the Qatar Open title in 2015 – Nadal’s fourth doubles triumph at the event.
Pablo Carreno Busta – one title
Nadal’s last doubles crown came almost eight years ago, at the 2016 China Open alongside former US Open semi-finalist Carreno Busta.
The two Spaniards overcame Jack Sock and Bernard Tomic in a deciding 10-point tiebreak to claim victory, an 11th title in the discipline for the 38-year-old.
