"THE HEIR IS BORN; ALL HEIL THE NEW KING" - Tennis fans erupt in joy as Rafael Nadal and his wife welcome their first child

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has been blessed with a baby boy after his wife Maria Francisca Perello gave birth to their first child in a clinic on the island of Mallorca on Saturday.

Nadal and Perello have been together for over two decades now. They first met in Nadal's hometown of Mallorca when he was 19 and she was 17. Having dated for 14 years, the couple tied the knot in 2019 on a romantic holiday in Rome, as reported by Hola Spain.

Excited tennis fans took to Twitter to react to the wonderful news, showering Nadal and his wife with love and good wishes.

One user was ecstatic to find out that it was a boy, proclaiming him as the "heir."

"THE HEIR IS BORN. ITS A BOY. ALL HEIL THE NEW KING," they tweeted.

Another fan referred to Nadal as a "king" and his son as a "prince."

"Vamos!!!!!! My king has his prince," they wrote.

One user welcomed "lil rafa" into the world and was grateful that everyone was healthy.

"thankfully everyone is healthy. good job mary. welcome to the world lil rafa," they wrote.

Below are a few more reactions to the birth of Rafael Nadal's son:

"It could have been an extraordinary season, but it was ruined by the constant problems he had" - Rafael Nadal's uncle on his 2022 season

2017 French Open - Day 15

Rafael Nadal has pocketed two Grand Slam titles this season despite being troubled by various injuries. Toni Nadal, the 22-time Major winner's uncle and former coach, recently reflected on his nephew's season.

In an interview with AS, Toni stated that the former World No. 1 would have won a lot more tournaments if not for his injuries.

"It could have been an extraordinary season, but it was ruined by the constant problems he had," he said. "The results were good because he won the Australian Open and Roland Garros, but it leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth. At Wimbledon, he failed to play a semifinal when he was playing well and was a clear title contender, he also had problems in New York."

The tennis coach added how Rafael Nadal has had "more problems than you can handle sometimes."

"An athlete wants above all to be well and play well, and also to win. My nephew has won, but he's had more problems than you can handle sometimes," Toni Nadal said.