Tennis’ Rafael Nadal Gives Rare Insight Into His Life as a New Dad

Fatherhood is an easy ace for Rafael Nadal. 

The 22-time Grand Slam winner and his wife Maria Francisca Perello welcomed their first child, a son, in October 2022. And though he’s mastered many shots and perfected quite the serve, fatherhood is still teaching Rafael something new every day. 

“Everything surprises you because everything is new,” he told E! News during a press conference ahead of The Netflix Slam on March 3. “Especially the first kid you have, everything is 100 percent new for my wife and for me. So you learn everyday, and every day is unexpected.”

Yet despite the learning curve, becoming a parent is an adventure the 37-year-old always wanted to have in his playbook. 

“I have always been a kids guy,” he reflected. “I always enjoyed spending time with the kids, I had plenty of smaller cousins than me so I had a lot of fun with them when they were babies.”

And for the Spanish player—whose career is often surrounded by questions of retirement these days—he’s focused on enjoying this stage of his life, tennis, diapers and all.