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I usually cover tennis news regarding the on-court stuff, but from time to time, something happens off the court that we have to celebrate. As I’m sure you know, Rafael Nadal was due to become a father at the end of the 2022 season. And on October 8th, 2022, he became exactly that. His wife has given birth to a baby boy, which as it happens, is named Rafael Nadal Perello. For me, as I’m sure it was for many fans of Rafael Nadal, it was a huge relief to see that the birth had gone smoothly.
You may remember that during the 2022 US Open, Nadal’s wife went to the hospital for a problem related to her pregnancy. This was no doubt a worrying time for the 22-time Grand Slam champion and his wife. And while the issues or problems being faced were never publicly revealed, it would seem that they were prolonged. I say this because right after Nadal played in the Laver Cup doubles match with Federer, he flew straight back home to be with his wife.
So clearly, this was a pivotal time in the pregnancy, and Nadal wanted to be there to support his wife and their future baby. Despite this, being the warrior that he is, he still competed in the 2022 US Open until he lost to Frances Tiafoe. But since then, Nadal hasn’t played any competitive event, besides that game at the Laver Cup.
Anyway, this is obviously fantastic news for Nadal and his wife, their families, as well as the tennis world. And I wanted to share some rather fun details regarding the birth that you may have missed.
Another Rafael Nadal? Look Out, Tennis World!
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The name Rafael Nadal is shrouded in maximum respect in the tennis world. And now, his newborn son will carry the same name. Could we be witnessing the start of the journey for another Clay Court King? Who knows, but it would be pretty cool if he started to play tennis like his old man.
When baby Rafael entered the world, a couple of amusing things have been raised by tennis fans and media alike:
Djokovic Not Wanting to Give ‘Fatherly Advice’
The first of these ‘amusing things’ was actually rather heartwarming to see. When Novak Djokovic was competing in the Astana Open last week, he was informed of the news regarding the birth of Rafael Nadal junior. Djokovic was caught completely off-guard as he had no idea. Anyway, you could see that he was happy for his great rival, and when asked about fatherly advice, he declined to give any. Instead, he said that Nadal has a big family and that he will no doubt figure it out on his own.
Completion of the Next Generation of the Big Three
Everyone knows about the big three – Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. And as it happens, Nadal was the last of these guys to have a child. Perhaps most amazingly, they all have a boy (or two) now. Federer has two twin boys, Djokovic has one boy who is big into tennis, and Nadal has now completed the ‘next gen’ of the big three with the birth of Rafael.
Will they all play against one another one day? Who knows, but that would be awesome to see!
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