“Rafael Nadal better keep that baby away from his uncle Toni” – Tennis fans joke after seeing Spaniard's son hold racket in his right hand

Tennis fans on the internet recently referred to the role of Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni in the Spaniard becoming a left-handed player. This came after they saw the tennis legend's son holding a racket in his right hand.

Nadal made his tennis alongside compatriot Marc Lopez in a doubles encounter against Max Purcell and Jordon Thompson at Brisbane International 2024. The Spanish team lost the encounter in straight sets on Sunday, December 31.

The 37-year-old is next scheduled to take on Dominic Thiem in the opener at the ATP 250 event in Brisbane on Monday, January 1. He holds the upper hand over Thiem with a 9-6 lead in their head-to-head.

Nadal has traveled to Spain with his wife Maria Perello and one-year-old son, who recently came to watch him practice. Interestingly, the toddler was captured holding a mini racket in his right hand which reminded tennis buffs about his father's transition into becoming a lefty.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion used to swing with both hands as a child. His uncle and long-time coach Toni, however, tutored him to play with his left hand for strength and technical advantages.

Seeing his son following in his footsteps, one fan on X (formerly Twitter) joked:

"Until Uncle Toni gets him to change to being a lefty!"

Another fan hilariously warned the 22-time Grand Slam champion against sending the toddler to Uncle Toni for any practice.

"Rafa better keep that baby away from his uncle," the fan wrote.

A third fan chimed in, saying:

"Uncle Toni will change that."

Here are a few more reactions from X:

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Rafael Nadal denies claiming 2024 is going to be his last season

Rafael Nadal

In an unexpected turn of events, Rafael Nadal denied claiming that 2024 is definitely going to be his last year as a professional tennis player. This seemingly contradicts his suggestions back in May this year about calling it a day in 2024.

Addressing a recent press conference at the Brisbane International, he said:

"It's obvious that it's a high percentage that's going to be my last time playing here in Australia. But if I am here next year, don't tell me, 'You said [2024 was] going to be your last season, because I didn't say it (smiling).' I just say have been an important percentage."

The Spaniard added that he didn't know what the future held, saying:

"You never know what's going on, you know? I can't predict how I going to be in the next six months. I can't predict if my body will allow me to enjoy tennis as much as I enjoyed the past 20 years."