Rafa Nadal sends message to tennis fans after birth of first child

Rafa Nadal has reached out to the tennis world to thank everyone for the messages after he and his wife, Mery 'Xisca' Perello, welcomed the arrival of their first child.

Perello gave birth to a baby boy in a private clinic on Sunday, with both mother and child doing well.

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Nadal has remained off social media since the birth of his first child, but sent out a message to let everyone know that the family is healthy and to thank everyone for the support.

"Hello everyone. After a few days and many messages of affection I just wanted to thank you all, he wrote, in Spanish.

"We are very happy and all very well. A big hug."

Spanish publication Marca reported Perello and Nadal named their baby boy 'Rafael'.

The couple kept a tight led on their pregnancy until June, when it became clear they were expecting a child with a baby bump visible soon after the French Open.

The couple married in 2019 after being together for 14 years beforehand.

Nadal stayed with Perello for a number of days after the birth, but returned to practice this week.

The 22-time grand slam champion was filmed back at the Rafa Nadal Academy.

The Spaniard had a hit with 18-year-old Coleman Wong.

Nadal back in training has lifted speculation that he could be preparing for a ATP Masters Finals tilt.

This is despite battling an abdominal injury for the second half of the year, which saw him withdraw from Wimbledon in the semi-final.

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Novak Djokovic most recently congratulated Perello and Nadal after the birth of their first child during a media interview at the Astana Open.

"Congrats! I didn’t know. Really? It’s a beautiful news. I wish his wife and baby a lot of health and happiness," he told reporters.

However Djokovic, who has two children of his won with wife Jelena, wasn't willing to offer any fatherly advice to his rival.

"As a father, I’m not going to give any advice," Djokovic said with a smile.

"He has a big family. I’m sure he will experience himself."

Following Nadal's tweet, the tennis world was quick to praise the Spaniard.

Recently, Nadal confirmed that he wasn't thinking about retiring in the near future due to the birth of his first child.

with AAP

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