Rafael Nadal was recently captured teaching his young son, Rafael Nadal Perello, his signature 'Vamos' celebration. Nadal and his wife, Maria Francisca Perello, welcomed their son in October 2022. In recent times, the toddler has been spotted at his father's matches, and the just-concluded Barcelona Open was no exception.
On Sunday, a fan account on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video featuring the 37-year-old playing with his son at the Barcelona Open and teaching him his famous "Vamos" celebration.
Watch here:
After missing the majority of the 2023 season due to injury, Nadal returned to the court at the 2024 Brisbane International. However, he sustained an injury in the quarterfinals against Jordan Thompson and was again on the sidelines until his recent return at the Barcelona Open, a tournament he has won 12 times, with the center court named after him.
The Spaniard defeated Italy's Flavio Cobolli in the first round but was eliminated by Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the second round.
Up next, the 37-year-old will participate in the 2024 edition of the Madrid Open through a protected ranking. He has won the Masters 1000 event five times, with his last victory coming in 2017. The last time he participated was in 2022 when he reached the quarterfinals before going down to the eventual winner, Carlos Alcaraz.
Rafael Nadal rules out getting a puppy for his son
Rafael Nadal recently dismissed the idea of getting a puppy for his son. During a playful Q&A session at the Barcelona Open, Santiago Gonzalez's kids, Camila and Matias, asked the 22-time Grand Slam winner in Spanish if he had any plans to buy a puppy for his son, given the toddler's fondness for dogs.
The Spaniard admitted that although Rafa Jr. loves animals, a puppy would be too much to handle at the moment.
"We have already seen that Rafita likes dogs very much… you don’t plan to buy one?" Camila inquired.
"Uf! Not at the moment. The truth is that he [Rafa Jr.] loves all animals. But not at the moment. It’s tough enough to keep him, if on the top of that, we have to keep a puppy now, I can’t deal with all that," the former World No. 1 responded
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here