The 19-month-old was watching from the sidelines with his mother
Like father, like son!
On Monday, May 27, Rafael Nadal’s wife Maria Perello and their 19-month-old son were seen cheering from the sidelines at the 2024 French Open in Paris.
Perello, 35, was dressed in a white eyelet top with white jeans and a brown belt. She paired the casual look with a multicolored watch. The 19-month-old looked adorable in a white and yellow sweater under a pair of white overalls.
Later, the two covered up in navy blue jackets, during which the toddler was spotted holding a miniature tennis racket in his hand.
Throughout the game, the child seemed focused on the match as he watched from the audience with his mother.
The tennis star and Perello welcomed their son in October 2022 in Spain after revealing that they were expanding their family during a press conference in Palma de Mallorca in June 2022.
“If all goes well, I’m going to be a father,” he said at the time.
The French Open started on Sunday, May 26, and runs through June 9. The Monday match played between Nadal and Alexander Zverev in the first round of Men’s Singles ended in Nadal’s defeat with the final scores being 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-5.
Last month, the 22-time Grand Slam champion pulled out from the Monte Carlo Masters tournament due to bodily injuries. “My body simply won’t allow me,” the athlete wrote on social media. “And even if I am working hard & making the maximum effort every day with all the will to play and compete again at tournaments that have been very important for me, the truth is that I can’t play today. You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events.”
In 2023, Nadal pulled out of the French Open last minute and said that he planned on 2024 being his “last” after he was injured earlier in the year. He explained in an Instagram post, which was originally written in Spanish, that his recovery was taking longer than planned. “Initially it had to be a six to eight week recovery period and we’re on to number fourteen,” he said.
The tennis player continued to share that the “reality” of the situation was not what he and his medical team “had hoped for,” despite following all medical directions. “We find ourselves in a situation that is difficult,” he added.
Following the match, Nadal said there is a “big percentage” this year will be his final French Open. However, he still plans on competing in the Olympics later this summer pending his health, according to ESPN.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few months. I need to finish all this process,” Nadal said. “My mindset was ready until Olympics, you know, and then I need to check how I feel in different ways, I mean, in terms of personal motivation, body feelings, and then in terms of level of tennis it [may] make sense to keep playing.”