WATCH: Rafael Nadal's sister Maribel turns cheerleader for Spaniard, hypes him up from stands during Italian Open 2024 1R clash

Rafael Nadal was not alone in the first round of the Italian Open but had the support of his sister, Maria Isabel. The Spaniard was facing Zizou Bergs in the first round of his Italian Open campaign today.

The 37-year-old lost the first set and was searching for momentum in the second. While he was aiming for a comeback, his sister Maria Isabel, was spotted motivating him.

Maribel could be seen cheering for her brother from the stands. Watch the video below:

Zizou Bergs defeated Patrick Kypson and Shen Juncheng in the first and second qualification rounds to earn a spot in the main draw. Nadal eventually beat Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to make it to the next round of the Masters 1000 event where he will play World No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz.

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Rafael Nadal weighed in on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's absence from the 2024 Italian Open

Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2024 - Day Two

Nadal recently voiced his opinion at the press conference in Rome on youngsters such as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz facing injuries. He started by expressing his views on Sinner's absence [13:53 onwards].

"The injuries have been always there. That's the truth. I understand that for you guys Jannik is not playing here is a terrible news, especially the way he's playing this year.

"We can talk about that (injuries) for hours because at the end we have been talking about that for so many years. Now with Carlos and with Jannik not playing here, the conversation is on the table again. Nothing changes. Just the coincidence that two of the best players of the world are injured today. So the conversation is a much deeper conversation that today the three [sic] best players of the world are not able to play in Rome."

The former World No. 1 further stated how playing on hard courts makes the players more susceptible to injuries. Nadal also highlighted how on-court exertion becomes a cause of injury.

"If we want to talk about why people get injured, I tell you very clear: when you push your body to the limit, you get injured at the end. When the game is faster and faster and faster, you get injured. When you play most of the year on hard courts and the surfaces are tougher for the body, you get injured. That's the simple answer," he added.

Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the Italian Open, citing "muscle edema" in his pronator teres. The Spaniard played his last match at the Madrid Open, where he was knocked out by Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, Sinner withdrew due to a hip injury.