Rafael Nadal's wife Maria and baby son look on as Spaniard makes triumphant injury comeback at Barcelona Open 2024
Rafael Nadal is competing in his second tournament of the year, and in the stands were his son, Rafael Nadal Perello, and his wife, Maria Francisca Perello, watching.
The former World No.1 and Maria Francisca Perello married in 2019 after dating for 14 years. They welcomed their first child, Rafael Nadal Perello, in October 2022.
On Monday, the 22-time Grand Slam champion returned to the ATP Tour after spending over two months on the sidelines due to an injury he sustained at the 2024 Brisbane International. The injury forced him to pull out of the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Open.
In his first-round match of the 2024 Barcelona Open, the Spaniard defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-3, setting up a second-round encounter with world No. 11 Alex de Minaur.
During the match, a fan account on X (formerly Twitter) posted an image of Rafael Nadal's son and Maria Francisca Perello watching the 37-year-old from the stands.
Nadal is aiming for a record 13th Barcelona Open title, making it the second tournament where he has won 12 or more titles. The first is the French Open, where he has won 14 titles.
The last time he lifted the Barcelona Open trophy was in 2021. He bested players like Ilya Ivashka, Kei Nishikori, Cameron Norrie, and Pablo Carreño Busta before defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. Afterward, he missed the 2022 and 2023 editions due to injury.
Rafael Nadal once said he would prefer that his son practice a sport different from tennis
Back in February, Rafael Nadal told LaSexta that he would prefer his son to practice another sport. However, he added that if his son wanted to play tennis, he would still support him.
"I would prefer that [my son] practice another sport. It pains me to say it with everything that tennis has given me... If he wants to play tennis, I will support him. But if he plays another sport, better," Nadal said, as quoted by Marca.
The Spaniard went on to say that he wouldn't want to be the type of father who justifies everything his children do. He also acknowledged that he's not currently in a position where he feels compelled to do so.
"I wouldn't like to be the typical father who justifies everything his children have done. At the moment I'm not in that position," he said.