WATCH: Rafael Nadal practices with Uncle Toni's son Joan

Friday, 29 July 2022 at 02:40

Updated at Friday, 15 November 2024 at 13:53

byZachary Wimer

Rafael Nadal might be the most famous Nadal playing tennis, but he’s not the only one, as there is another one, and they practiced recently together.

Rafael Nadal comes from a sporting family, and while he chose tennis over football, unlike one of his uncles, he’s not the only Nadal who is pursuing a tennis career. The son of his famous tennis coach, Uncle Toni, is also pursuing tennis.

Joan Nadal isn’t as successful as Rafael Nadal, but there is still time for the young player. Getting a chance to play with his more successful cousin will certainly help him on his journey, and they recently did that at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca.

Toni Nadal used to coach Rafael Nadal for much of his career, and while they haven’t been working together for a few years now, he’s always there to keep a close eye on his nephew and possibly give any advice or two.

Even though he has a son who also plays tennis and aspires to be a tennis player, the Spanish coach is currently coaching Felix Auger-Aliassime. Even so, he probably had a hand in arranging a practice between his son and nephew recently.

Videos from the joint practice of the Nadals were shown on social media and created a frenzy among tennis fans, as it was cool to see Nadal facing another Nadal.

The younger Nadal seemed to hold his own pretty well against the older Nadal, who wasn’t pulling back at all. Rafa hit some powerful forehands, but Joan had some good moments as well.

Time will tell whether Joan ever manages to get a fraction of the success Rafael had, but getting a chance to practice with his cousin was certainly a great moment for the legendary Spaniard. Maybe they’ll face each other in a proper match sometime in the future. Fans would certainly love that.