Rafael Nadal says he and his family are ‘very well’ after birth of first child
Rafael Nadal says he and his family are “very well” after the birth of their first child.
As the world’s top tennis player announced his return from injury after 11 months, Nadal’s wife and manager, Maria Sharapova, said she would miss the birth of the couple’s first child.
“We are very well! He is doing very well,” the Spaniard, who has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, told reporters.
“But, yes, I am going to miss a few days in the sense that I will miss my first baby.”
The 27-year-old Nadal, who announced his retirement in May after the 2014 Australian Open, has had three operations on his left knee and had been sidelined since Jan. 2.
He won the US Open and Australian Open in April and lost in the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer. Asked if he could have another opportunity to win a major, Nadal said: “Yes. Because of the way the season was, I’m going to have five chances.”
However, the former world No.1 said his return to competition would be “like coming back from the dead”.
“For me, this is a new challenge, this is a new chance that I am playing again, I am very happy to be back at the level I am at,” the Spanish star told a news conference.
“I have to go back to a new, better place to play and to be successful on the tennis court.”
In an emotional exchange with his wife, Sharapova, who gave birth to their first child, Alexis, at 1.56am local time (2pm BST) on Monday, Nadal said it was a “very emotional” day.
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be with him — the doctor told me I could be pregnant for three months,” Sharapova said. “I’m very happy. I cried a lot because I’m already with someone new and I love him.”
Sharapova said she was “so excited” to have a baby son, adding: “I’m nervous — I think I’m