MADRID – Tennis great Rafael Nadal, current world No. 2 and reigning Olympic men’s singles champion, will carry the flag for Spain at the opening ceremony of the London Games on July 27.

Nadal’s designation was approved during a meeting at the Madrid headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee.

Sailors Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez were also in the running to carry the flag.

According to the committee’s rules, the flag bearer should be the athlete with the most distinguished Olympic history who has not had the honor before and who can be present at the opening ceremony.

The sailing duo has a bigger medal haul than Nadal, having won gold in Athens in 2004 and silver in Beijing four years later, but they did not meet all the requirements.

Nadal won the men’s singles gold medal in Beijing and also is the holder of 11 Grand Slam singles titles, the most recent coming earlier this month in Paris when he won a record seventh French Open. EFE