Like father, like son! A beaming Rafael Nadal gives his baby boy Rafa Junior a tennis racquet and dotes on the one-year-old in Australia

Grand Slam legend Rafael Nadal has been pictured spending quality time with his father and son in a Brisbane park before returning to Spain to receive medical attention for the injury that ruined his Australian Open comeback.

Nadal, a 22-time grand slam winner, injured his hip during his loss to Aussie Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International last week, forcing him to return to Spain rather than attempt to win his third title at Melbourne Park.

The 37-year-old initially said he would fly to Melbourne and rest ahead of the Australian Open, but a scan revealed he had suffered a micro-tear in the same hip that has ruled him out of action for almost a year.

The former world number 1 was spotted in heartwarming scenes with his father Sebastian and one-year-old son Rafael Junior just before the injury came to light.

The trio enjoyed the sun while Rafael Junior played with a small white tennis racket.

Rafael Junior, born in October 2022, had fun with a small tennis racket – at one point he appeared to hit his father with it

Rafael Junior was born in October 2022. His father recently spoke about the impact his first child has had on his life and game after arriving in Sydney for the United Cup tournament.

“The first event I played as a dad without the baby with me, I lost the first round. In the second event, traveling with the baby, I dropped out of the group stage. In the end I won my last match, but I have to keep improving, right?’ he said.

‘We have help. No problem. I just have to organize my life a bit, like everyone has to do when you have a child in your life.’

The tennis superstar’s latest injury has left many fans concerned that he will not appear at the Australian Open again. Mats Wilander believes his late injury could even lead to the legend’s retirement.

“It is extremely sad news,” Wilander said on Eurosport.

“It’s obviously the saddest news for him because I watched the first three games he played in Brisbane. He looked extremely good in the first match against Dominic Thiem.

“He looked even better in the second round against Jason Kubler.

‘And then three match points in the third round against Jordan Thompson. He looked great.

The heartwarming scenes featuring three generations of Nadals – (from left to right) grandfather Sebastian, father Rafael and Rafael Junior – came just before the 22-time grand slam winner was forced to leave the Australian Open due to injury

If these photos are anything to go by, Rafa Junior will be playing right-handed tennis, unlike his left-handed father

Nadal previously joked about how he and his wife Maria had to reorganize their lives when their son was born

‘He can miss those match points. We’ve all done that in our careers.

‘The older you get, the more pressure you might put on yourself, but I think in a way it’s a bit of a wake-up call.

‘We have been woken up all the time by serious injuries to others, but the injury he has now, when you hear the description of it – micro, I mean the injuries he gets and has suffered are so different from other players.

“You just realize that it’s not just his ankle and his knee and most of his muscles, but also the smaller muscles in his body.

“Either he’s trained so hard over the years, or he’s trying so hard over the years that he breaks down. And it’s so unusual.’