Nadal welcomes a little extra support in Madrid this year

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Rafael Nadal has always enjoyed playing on home soil at the Mutua Madrid Open in front of a fully stocked players’ box, packed with his family and friends.

During his opening-round match Thursday there was a special addition to the box, although there was no need to bring in an additional chair. Nadal’s son, Rafael, spent time sitting on the knee of his mother Maria Francisca and aunt Maria Isabel, before celebrating the five-time champion’s straight-sets win over American teen Darwin Blanch by holding aloft a mini tennis racquet… notably in his right hand.

Asked post-match about playing in front of his son more often, Nadal said: “Well, I would love to play a little bit longer and give him a memory of myself playing tennis,” the 36-time ATP Masters 1000 champion remarked. “That's what will be the ideal thing for me and for my wife and family.”

Alas, as he enters the final inning of his record-breaking career, Nadal said that playing long enough to create lasting memories for his son may be difficult. “Probably I will not be able to make that happen. But at least I’m happy to have a great team and family and friends around me during all my life that helped me in every single way of being happy.

“Today is not an exception. I still have a great family, great team, and friends from ever since I was a child, a small kid. That makes me happy, and that, in some way, makes me feel great that they are here, but hopefully they're gonna keep being next to me in the future after my tennis career, and that makes me feel great and super happy.”

^{Rafael Nadal competes Thursday in Madrid, where his wife Maria Francisca and son Rafael were in attendance. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.}

Nadal gave his box plenty to cheer about as he opened his 20th appearance in Madrid with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 victory against Blanch, a 64-minute match that perhaps even allowed the Spaniard's son to not be out past his bedtime.

Competing in just his third tournament of 2024, the 37-year-old Nadal also discussed post match how the physicality of his training regimen has changed over the years.

“Today I'm able to give my 100 per cent sometimes 40 per cent [of the time], sometimes 60 per cent, sometimes 70 per cent, and if I am able to raise this percentage day after day or week after week, why not in the future what can happen?'" Nadal said. "If not, it's impossible and doesn't make sense.”

Nadal next faces 10th seed Alex de Minaur, who ousted the Spaniard last week just 600 kilometres east in Barcelona. A rematch at the Caja Magica will further allow Nadal to gauge where his level is.

“I didn't test my body much today. I think I played a decent match doing the things that I had to do to be through, but at the same time, I played against a player that today — I don't know in a few weeks — he's not solid enough yet, because he's making more mistakes,” said Nadal, who will next play Saturday.