Rafael Nadal's cousin Joan Nadal earns his first points on ATP tour at ITF event in Manacor

Rafael Nadal's cousin Joan Nadal collected his first ATP Tour points at the ITF event M15 in Manacor. He earned points in both the singles and doubles formats of the game at the third event of the M15 held at the Rafa Nadal Academy.

Joan is the son of Rafael Nadal's uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal. Uncle Toni coached and nurtured the 22-time Grand Slam champion as a budding tennis talent and now coaches Felix Auger Aliassime. The Spaniard won his first 16 Major titles under his tutelage.

The Rafa Nadal Academy congratulated the 19-year-old, who often spars with the 14-time French Open champion.

"Congratulations Joan Nadal on winning your first @atptour points at the @ITFTennis by @lgespana tournament! VAMOS!!" posted the Rafa Nadal Academy on X (formerly Twitter).

The young Spaniard will hope to follow in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal, who won his first ATP tour points at the Real Club de Tenis Betis in Seville in 2001 as a 15-year-old.

Interestingly, Carlos Alcaraz also won his first two consecutive ITF titles in Manacor back in 2020 as a budding 16-year-old tennis talent.

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A brief look at Rafael Nadal's early career

Rafael Nadal at the 2003 US Open

Rafael Nadal's ascent to the top of the game began as early as 2001 when he turned pro at the age of 14.

The former World No.1 made his first appearance at the ITF circuit with a semi-final run at the junior singles event in 2002 Wimbledon. He next competed in the 2002 Junior Davis Cup where he helped his home team Spain lift the trophy against team US.

After competing in only two ITF events, Nadal began playing in the qualifying draws of professional tournaments. He received a wild card into the main draw of the Challenger in Seville, his first Challenger tournament, and claimed his first pro win, earning the first ATP points of his career.

In 2002, Nadal received a wild card to the ATP 250 event in Mallorca where at 15 years of age, he won his first ATP match by becoming the ninth player in the Open Era to do so before the age of 16.

Nadal continued his pro journey in 2003 by reaching the finals of Challengers at the Hamburg Open, the Cherbourg Open, and the Cagliari Open. The 'King of Clay' eventually won his first ATP title at Sopot in 2004.

Twenty years on, the 37-year-old will next be seen on-court at the upcoming Qatar Open.