Watch: When Rafael Nadal joked about his then-girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello needing a "wildcard" to catch him in action

Rafael Nadal has had an extraordinary season so far, winning four titles. This includes a record 21st Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, where he beat Daniil Medvedev in an epic final. It was the Spaniard's first triumph at the Asia-Pacific Major since 2009.

In 2017, Nadal returned to action following an injury-hampered 2016 season. He produced some good tennis throughout the Australian Open and went on to reach the final before losing to arch-rival Roger Federer in five sets.

Apart from playing well, Nadal also entertained the Melbourne crowd during his post-match interviews. One such instance came after his fourth-round victory over Gael Monfils.

Jim Courier, who was interviewing Nadal, pointed out that it was the first time the Spaniard's then-girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello had been to Australia.

Nadal jokingly stated that his partner had received a "wildcard" to watch him in action.

"Yes it was great, I think the negative thing is I lost in the quarterfinals in Brisbane but the good thing, I had a chance to visit Sydney. I hadn't been there before so I was knowing a little bit about the city and we enjoy it, and after ten years, my girlfriend gets a wildcard to get here," he said.

Courier then asked the King of Clay why Perello was a wildcard and not a main-draw player, to which he responded:

"It's better that we stop here."

Nadal and Perello married in 2019 and the couple are expecting their first child later this year.

Rafael Nadal competed at the Laver Cup

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the Laver Cup

Rafael Nadal recently competed at the Laver Cup, which was his rival Roger Federer's final tournament. The duo teamed up for a doubles match against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock, losing 4-6, 7-6(2) [11-9].

The Spaniard eventually withdrew from the tournament citing personal reasons. He later claimed in an interview with AS that the past few weeks have been stressful for him and that he hasn't been getting much sleep.

“I'm not okay, I'm not okay. The truth is that they have been difficult weeks in that sense," Nadal said. "Little, very little, few hours of sleep, a little stress in general, situations a little more complicated than usual at home. Which, well, I've had to deal with all of that, which is a different pressure than what you're used to in professional life."

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