Rafael Nadal's cousin, Joan, will make his ATP debut in late June

Rafael Nadal has been around so long that tennis fans feel like they know his entire family. Uncle Toni was Rafa's coach for many years. However, some are surprised to learn that Uncle Toni's son, Joan Nadal, is involved in the family business of professional tennis also.

Joan, 20, will make his ATP debut later in June at the Mallorca Championships. The young Nadal received a qualifying wildcard. Joan is currently ranked No. 1890 in the world. The Mallorca Championships are an ATP 250 Wimbledon tuneup event beginning on June 24. Joan's father, Toni, is the tournament director.

Joan Nadal has been grinding it out on the ITF circuit since 2021. In January, he earned his first ATP points with singles and doubles wins at the ITF event in Manacor.

How much pressure is on Joan Nadal?

The family name could open doors for him, but Joan Nadal will have to win matches and work his way up the rankings ladder just as his cousin Rafael did.

Uncle Toni is currently coaching Felix Auger-Aliassime, but it makes us wonder if he would consider coaching his son should he build momentum and get his ranking up.

Father-son player and coaching duos are popular with Petr Korda coaching his son Sebastian and Bryan Shelton coaching his son Ben.

There are several next-generation players on a similar path as Joan Nadal. Lindsay Davenport's son Jagger Leach, Tracy Austin's son Brandon Holt, Lleyton Hewitt's son Cruz, and Goran Ivanisevic's son Emmanuel are pursuing tennis careers with their Grand Slam Champion parents assuming the role of proud, nervous, and excited parents of young athletes pursuing their dreams. Holt is the only one in his early 20s; the other tennis children are teenagers.

Could we see a tournament 5-10 years from now with a Nadal, Hewitt, and Ivanisevic or sons of Davenport and Austin competing? It is possible, but we will have to wait and see.

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