Joan Nadal, the 20-year-old nephew of tennis legend Rafael Nadal, is set to make his debut at an ATP Tour event. The young Spaniard has received a wildcard for the 2024 Mallorca Championships, beginning on June 24. This marks a significant milestone in his fledgling career.
Playing on the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour since 2021, Joan Nadal made his debut at the 2021 Mallorca Challenger but lost in the first qualifying round to USA’s Nick Chappell. Ranked World No. 1890, he struggled initially, losing his first nine competitive matches on the ITF circuit.
However, Joan made a breakthrough in January this year, earning his first ATP ranking point at the M15 Futures event in Manacor, Spain. He won against USA’s Andrew Fentry in the first round before being ousted by Ukraine’s Georgii Kravchenko. Despite his low ranking, he has shown improvement, winning two of his last nine matches.
Joan Nadal now has a promising opportunity at the Mallorca Championships, a grass-court tournament that serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon. With the wildcard entry, he aims to make a significant impact and advance his career.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked world no.
275, Nadal played his last match on the 27th of May when he surrendered to world no.4 Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 in the 1st round of the French Open (draw).This season the Spaniard has achieved an overall 7-5 match record.
Nadal is scheduled to play next at the Wimbledon (Wimbledon). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 1st of July.
Joan Nadal in 2024
Ranked no. (career-high), the Spaniard played his last match on the 19th of May when he capitulated to Benoit Torcq 6-3 7-6(8) in the qualifications in (draw).
This year Joan has managed to achieve a 3-10 match record.
Joan Nadal will compete against the world no.163 Rudolf Molleker in the qualifications. In the past, they have never competed against each other up to now on the main tour.
Rafael Nadal and Joan Nadal have never clashed against each other.