Family is a beautiful and strong support system for everyone. And tennis players are no different. Wimbledon was full of parents and family members cheering for their children as they felt every emotion from the match. The moment scores changed, emotions changed! But the grass is not green for everyone as they wonder: Is there any real point in a relationship? Many people around the world are looking for this answer. And so did Marcos Giron back in time as a 21-year-old!

Before 2015, it was bliss for Giron, with a beautiful family, who pushed him towards tennis from a very young age. His father, Andres Giron, a Spanish national and a physician, loved to play tennis with his friends. While his mother Rosanna Giron fed him tennis balls to satisfy his curiosity about the sport, he watched his father play. This certainly laid a strong foundation for Giron, as a few years later, in 2014, he made his debut on the professional stage. When everything was going well, what led Giron to question: Is there any real point in a relationship?

His parent’s separation! It was a happy-go-lucky life for the then-21-year-old, as everything seemed picture-perfect, and he looked forward to making it big as a professional tennis star. However, just a year after turning pro, Giron was undergoing an MRI scan followed by surgery. And amid everything, he received devastating news from his parents. In an interview with Behind the Racquet, he recalled the dreaded words of his mother: “It’s over!” And everything was turned upside down for the American tennis star, for the next few months.

While undergoing hip surgery and rehab, the American tennis player had to come to terms with his parent’s separation. He said, “I am alone with my thoughts and no one to talk to. At this point, I had to take two months off for my hip.” But what was more heart-breaking for Giron was the fact that due to surgery, his only escape, and perhaps a way to adapt to the new reality, was taken away. He said, “This was extremely tough, as I couldn’t even use tennis as an escape.” However, what made this situation more difficult to take in was the fact that “It’s hard, you care about both people, but when they are not communicative, you find yourself in between.” And things were never the same.

However, that was back in 2015, almost a decade ago. The American tennis star has been seeded second at the Hall of Fame Open 2024, as he brushed aside Benoit Paire to reach the quarterfinals. He is set to clash with Alex Bolt for a place in the semifinals. At the same time, Rafael Nadal is involved in an intense clash at the Nordea Open 2024, to prepare for the Olympics. But for those unaware, similar to Giron’s parents, Nadal parents also parted ways back in the late 2000s, soon after his professional career took off.

Rafael Nadal was left ‘stunned’ at the news of his parents separation

It’s difficult to picture your parents separate when the family had been glued together in a frame for years. However, Nadal too had to undergo the pain of his parents’ parting ways back in 2009. In his memoir, “Rafa: My Story,” Nadal opened up how his father broke the sad news. On a happy occasion, the Spaniard had clinched his 1st Australian Open title. And his trip back home was filled with pain, instead of happiness.

The then “stunned” Nadal opened up about the impact of the separation a few years later. He said, “My parents were the pillar of my life and that pillar had crumbled. The continuity I so valued in my life had been cut in half, and the emotional order I depend on had been dealt a shocking blow.” However, in 2011, there was news of his parents getting back together after 2 years of separation.

But the happy family portrait that every child has fitted in their mind cracks with the devastating news. And overcoming the emotional whirlpool certainly takes a lot of time!