Although Rafael Nadal will always enjoy having his son watch his matches, the tennis legend has joked that he appears to have lost more matches than he has won since Nadal Junior arrived.
Nadal Junior was born in October 2022, marking the first child born to Nadal and his wife, Maria Francisca Perello.
His son was unable to watch his father in live action during his first year because former world No. 1 Nadal missed the majority of the 2023 season due to injury, but that changed in 2024.
Rafa Jr. travelled to Australia with his parents while Nadal played at the Brisbane International. The youngster also attended the Olympics in Paris, the Barcelona Open, the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, the French Open, and the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas.
When his father faced Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, the two-year-old made his most recent high-profile appearance.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion lost to his young countryman 6-3, 6-3, and during the on-court interview following the match, Nadal was asked: “It must be nice to have baby Rafa here with your wife and family. He thinks you’re great whether you win or lose. He was jumping up and down like crazy.”
And the 38-year-old hit back with a funny reply, saying: “Well I don’t think I’m great. Since he arrived in the world I lost more than I won [but] at the same time having him here helps all the tough moments I’ve been through the last couple of years. He behaves very well even when it’s late. I’m happy.”
Rafael Nadal’s touching words about his son:
“I don’t think I’m a great player in his eyes. Since he was born, I’ve lost more than I won. Having him helps me in all the tough times I’ve been through in recent years.”
🥹 pic.twitter.com/WOB2SbZ550
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) October 18, 2024
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Now the world no.153, Rafael played his last match on the 29th of July when he lost to world no.4 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
Presently, during this year the Spaniard has a compiled 12-7 win-loss record. Rafael Nadal’s best result of the current season was getting to the final in Bastad.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked world no.153, Nadal played his last match on the 29th of July when he surrendered to world no.4 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
Until now, during this year Rafael owns a 12-7 win-loss record. Rafael Nadal’s best result of the present year was reaching the final in Bastad.
