Rafael Nadal’s wife Maria Francisca Perello and son Rafa Jr. watched on from the stands as the 22-time Grand Slam winner emerged triumphant against Pedro Cachin to reach the fourth round at the ongoing Madrid Open.

At one point during the match, the cameras zoomed in on Rafa Jr., who was captured clapping for his father as he sat on his mother’s lap.

Tennis fans on social media gushed over the moment. One set of fans discussed how Rafa Jr. resembles his father.

“Those facial expressions are so Rafa,” one fan wrote.

“The seriousness. The eyebrows!!! He’s Rafa’s twin,” another fan commented.

“Baby Nadal. I feel his father’s intensity in his gaze,” another fan chimed in.

“He’s is adorable & already a legend just like his dad,” wrote yet another fan.

Another set of fans was smitten by the 1-year-old’s cuteness as he intently watched his father play.

“No words! This is the cutest thing I ever seen more and more plz,” wrote one fan.

“I’ve watched this like 100 times look at his lil hands,” commented another fan.

“He’s very interested in what’s going on, so cute,” chimed in another fan.

Nadal dominated Cachin in the first set to clinch it 6-1. The Argentine’s nerves were evident, and, as he later admitted, affected his serve, and the Spaniard capitalized on his errors. However, Cachin settled down in the second set and got the better of Nadal after a tense tiebreak.

In the end though, it was the former ATP World No. 1 who progressed to the fourth round after reasserting his superiority in the third and deciding set. The final score was 6-1, 6(5)-7, 6-3 in Nadal’s favor.

Following the conclusion of the match, Nadal attended a press conference, where he said that his run of three straight victories at the Madrid Open is a sign of his ongoing progress.

Rafael Nadal laid bare his struggles less than a month ago during his preparations for the clay court season

Despite admitting that he is making progress, Nadal revealed during the press conference that just over three weeks back, he was experiencing major issues with his serve. The 37-year-old also said that youngsters who train at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor were getting the better of him in practice.

“Three and a half weeks ago in Manacor I was unable to serve. I lost day after day with the kids at the academy. That’s the truth. There is progress. I have to recover the automatisms, the speed… That’s what the victories and that’s where we are,” Nadal said.

The Spaniard will next face 30th seed Jiri Lehecka in his fourth round match in Madrid on Monday, April 30. This will be the first meeting between the pair on the ATP Tour.