Rafael Nadal's cousin set to make ATP debut; gets qualifying wild card to appear in qualifying in Mallorca

Tennis star Rafael Nadal's cousin, Joan Nadal, has recently received a main draw wildcard to appear in the ATP 250 tournament in Mallorca. Notably, the 20-year-old is set to feature in the main-level tournament for the first time in his career, as he was never seen in any of the ATP events earlier.

Speaking about his recent journey, Nadal's cousin Jaon currently has an 1890 ranking in the world and has been part of the ITF level, where he has failed several times to enter the qualifying round as well. However, the young player was lucky enough last year as he was able to face Martin, who is the former world number 24 in the second round of the qualifying round in the ITF-Valldoreix.

Talking about his recent stats, the star player has a record of 3-10 heading into 2024 in Mallorca, where the qualifying rounds are set to start on June 21. The event is likely to feature some of the top stars in the tournament, which means that Joan Nadal has a great chance to face some of the several stars in the marquee event. However, his chances of reaching the main draw are very difficult owing to his poor and lowest rankings.

Rafael Nadal will not be able to join his cousin on the grass

On the other hand, Rafael Nadal will not be able to join his cousin on the grass. The star player feels that it won't be a great idea for him to return to grass and then head towards the Paris Olympics in 2024. Notably, the Spaniard was last seen in action during the French Open 2024, where he lost the opening round against Alexander Zverev despite being the most successful player in the history of the marquee event.

“But I don’t think it’s going to be smart after all the things that happened to my body to make a big transition to a completely different surface and then come back immediately to clay. Today I feel that’s not a good idea," Nadal said.