Rafael Nadal and his wife are deeply in love – but she doesn’t usally attend his tennis matches.
The current French Open champion, who is competing in his second round Wimbledon match today against Ricarda Berankis, has been with his childhood sweetheart for nearly two decades.
Nadal, 36, met Mery, 34, who was born Maria Francisca Perello, through his younger sister Maribel when they were teenagers but only started dating in 2005.
Mery, also known by the nickname Xisca, was an insurance worker and business graduate but gave up her job to become project director for the Rafa Nadal Foundation, the charity he founded with his mother in 2018.
The couple took their relationship to the next level when Rafa proposed to Mery in May 2018 during a romantic holiday to Rome.
However, they kept their engagement a secret for eight months and the exciting news emerged just days after the tennis ace was defeated by Novak Djokovic at the 2019 Australian Open in January that year.
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Rafael Nadal married his childhood sweetheart
The Spanish tennis star had previously spoken about his desire to start a family with Mery.
“Obviously, I have the intention of forming a family,” he told Hello! magazine. “I love children and I would like my children to do what they like.”
Despite being an incredibly private person, Mery did reveal details of her relationship with Nadal in a rare interview in 2011.
“Travelling together everywhere, even if I could, would not be good either for him or for me,” she told The Telegraph while explaining why she didn’t attend many of her partner’s matches.
“He needs his space when he is competing, and just the idea of me hanging around waiting on his needs all day wears me out. It would asphyxiate me.
“And then he would have to be worrying about me… No. If I followed him everywhere, I think there’s a risk we might stop getting along.”
Nadal and Mery got married in Mallorca in 2019
After 14 years together, Nadal married his childhood sweetheart at a lavish ceremony in Majorca in front of 350 guests in October 2019.
They tied the knot at the £30 million La Fortaleza fortress on the Spanish Island, which featured in BBC drama The Night Manager as the lair of Hugh Laurie’s character.
It also served as the location for Gareth Bale’s wedding to Emma Rhys-Jones the year before, while Spanish model Helen Lindes and basketball player Rudy Fernandez also married there in July 2015.
Rafa and Mery’s guest included former king of Spain Juan Carlos I, who abdicated the throne five years ago, as well as Spanish actress Carolina Cerezuela and Argentinian tennis player Juan Monaco.
Reports suggest the bride wore a long-sleeved gown by acclaimed bridal wear designer Rosa Clará, and catering was provided by Michelin-star chef, Quique Dacosta.
In June this year, came the amazing news that Rafa and Mery are expecting their first child.
Fresh from his French Open victory, Nadal appeared at a press conference in Mallorca where he revealed: “If all goes well, I’m going to be a father.
“I’m not used to talking about my personal life, prefer to keep a low-profile. I don’t anticipate this meaning a change to my professional life.”
Nadal had previously stated that he would love to have children and described himself as a “family guy”, but expressed his concerns about parenting while he was still playing.
“I would love to have children: boys, girls… I’m a person who loves kids and I’m a family guy,” he told The Sun.
