Rafael Nadal’s box was all smiles at the 2024 Bastad Open! The Spaniard was recently joined by his wife Maria Francisca Perello and his son Rafa Jr. at the Swedish event. Subsequently, Nadal’s impending comeback on the Tour was met with an adorable moment from his little family.
For the uninitiated, the former World No. 1 marked his attendance in the ATP 250 event for the first time since 2005 when he triumphed at the tournament. On Thursday, July 18, he registered a commanding straight-set victory over Cameron Norrie in the event’s second round. Later, his wife and son had an adorable reaction to Rafa’s laudable on-court performance.
As the ‘King of Clay’ finessed his Round Two opponent, his wife and son were seen cheering for the Spanish legend. To much excitement, Rafa Jr. was recorded exhibiting adorable expressions while observing his superstar father book a spot in the event’s quarterfinal vs Mariano Navone.
Rafa returned to the circuit after suffering an upsetting first-round loss to Alexander Zverev at the 2024 French Open. Moreover, the 22-time Grand Slam champion also skipped the season’s grass-court swing and with it, the Wimbledon Championships. He took this step to avoid change of surfaces ahead of the Paris Olympics. Notably, the Games will be played on red clay.
In hopes of preparing ahead of the much-awaited Paris event, Nadal landed in Bastad for the ongoing Nordea Open. He kicked off his clay court campaign by downing tennis great Bjorn Borg’s son, Leo, in the opening round. Now, with his second-round triumph, the 38-year-old is scheduled to lock horns with No. 4 seed Mariano Navone for a place in the semifinals.
While the 14-time Roland Garros champion is seemingly spending quality time with his family at the Swedish event, he also engaged in a fun Q&A. His participation in the questionnaire saw him hilariously remarking on something he’d refrain from getting his son anytime soon.
Rafa Nadal jokes about not getting a dog for his son
The Spaniard has been trying his level best to keep up with his professional commitments. However, he hasn’t avoided intriguing himself with fun conversations. Only this time, he talked about his son Rafa Jr. and his interest in pets.
During a Q&A session with Mexican tennis player Santiago Gonzalez’s children, Rafa was queried whether he owned any pets to which he replied in negative. Later, he was asked if he plans to buy his son a dog. In his response, the former World No. 1 admitted that Rafa Jr. likes pets. However, he stated that he wouldn’t want to shoulder the responsibility of a puppy when he is already occupied with raising his son. “The truth is that he [Rafa Jr.] loves all animals. It’s tough enough to keep him. If on top of that, we have to keep a puppy now. I can’t deal with all that.”
Nadal has made sure that Rafa Jr. explores the best life has to offer without a fraction of a doubt. He is seemingly balancing his professional and personal life by planning adventurous trips with his family while he tours the ATP circuit!
