Rafael Nadal didn’t just dominate on the court; he had his family cheering him on from the stands, including his adorable son Rafa Junior.
The support seemed to fuel his performance as he effortlessly cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over American teenager Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Madrid Open on Thursday.
It was a match that highlighted the stark age gap between the two opponents, with 21 years and 117 days setting a record for the largest age difference at the ATP Masters 1000 level.
Rafa’s impeccable return game, winning 59% of his return points, coupled with not facing a single break point on his own serve, demonstrated his unwavering dominance on the court.
I think today I played against an opponent with a great future in front [of him], but today, still making mistakes. I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks. It worked well. I’m happy to be through and I wish him all the very best for the future.
Rafa Nadal
Sources: The Associated Press, ATP Tour
The toddler is so cute. His eyes are so large, like a tennis ball. You can already feel his intensity that his Dad also has.
Adorable pictures of Rafa Junior and family to treasure.
I’d love to see Rafa avenge the Barcelona loss to Alex De Minaur. It all depends on if he can keep the points short and not let his opponent drag him into long rallies. Watch out for those drop shots, Rafa!!
Looking forward to Rafa do better against de Minaur this week in Madrid…slowly but surely Rafa will regain his prowess. The ATP Tour’s Next Gen revere him like a god per an ATP Tour article that I read today. Check it out!
Rafa will always be recognized as the best of the best in tennis.
Rafa junior is always holding onto that tennis racquet. Might be a good sign he will continue in his dad’s footsteps and career passion. Very special and Love it ❤️ 😊
Papa always going to win rafa junior world vamos rafa senior great match 👏
I believe you’re doing it right this time around.
The triumphant comeback is on schedule, slowly but surely.
Ojalá……
Congrats Rafa!👏 Good luck in round 2.🍀🫶 Enjoy the twilight of your glorious career one match at a time with love and support from your lovely family, friends, and fans!🥰
OMG! Baby Rafa..too friken cute!
I’m in love with Rafa baby I can’t get enough of watching him 🥰😀 cuteness overload, this baby looks adorable cute a true ⭐️
Good luck and Vamos Rafa❤️
Great to see Rafa get the win today. I saw the interview he did yesterday where he was saying if he feels the way he does these days, he doesn’t see himself playing at the French Open. He says it’s about “body limitations” and not his play or movement. I can completely understand this, especially as the French Open may mean 5 sets of play a game. He doesn’t want to be there if he doesn’t think he can be really competitive. But he also said, he has hopes for this year beyond the French Open, namely the Olympics etc. So all in all I think Nadal has a good mind set and I’m proud of him for just doing his best and enjoying whatever time on court he is able to get in likely his last year on tour!
Congrats, Rafa. Hope you were feeling the love on the Madrid court, especially from
Rafa Jr.👍💪👏🤛🎾🍀❤️
Yehh!!!! Hopefully it continues.