Rafael Nadal had a special guest watching one of his practice sessions at the Italian Open this week.
Nadal is preparing to play in Rome for the first time in two years. He is seeking to win a record-extending 11th title at the Foro Italico. The last time he played at the Italian Open was in 2022 when he lost to Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the round of 16.
The draw for this year's tournament was recently released, with the event set to run for two weeks. Nadal, who is currently using a protected ranking to enter into ATP tournaments, was paired to meet Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs in his opening match on Thursday.
The Spaniard has made immense progress since he marked his return to competition in Barcelona. Nadal played some of his best tennis in the past fortnight at the Madrid Open, where he won three matches but bowed out at the hands of Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round.
This week, he has been playing very well in practice and reportedly beat Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets in a practice match. Despite concerns that he was carrying a leg injury, Nadal has looked healthy and has shut down retirement talks in order to focus on his tennis fully.
During a recent practice session, his one-year-old son, Rafael Junior, was wheeled into the grounds to watch him. He was caught on cameras together with his mother, holding a mini tennis racket, and was handed a tennis ball to keep him occupied.
At a changeover, Nadal walked towards Rafael Junior to ask for the tennis ball, and the pair shared a lovely father-son moment as the small crowd of tennis fans clapped their hands.
Nadal has previously been outspoken about his son, saying he wanted him to have tennis memories of him planted in his brain. However, because he is unsure of how long he has left in the sport, he stated that it may not happen.
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