Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal and his wife María Francisca (Mery) Perelló have been loved-up for nearly two decades.
First introduced by one of his family members, Mery has been by Rafael’s side through the highs and lows of his career, and was no doubt there to cheer him up when his professional tennis career ended with a defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday.
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Here’s everything we know about the couple’s relationship as they prepare to enter a new chapter of their lives:
How they met
BARCELONA, SPAIN – DECEMBER 15: Rafa Nadal and Maria Francisca Perello “Xisca” attend the “Juntos Por La Integracion” charity gala organized by the Foundation Rafa Nadal on December 15, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Miquel Benitez/Getty Images)
MARÍA FRANCISCA PERELLO AND RAFAEL NADAL. PIC: MIQUEL BENITEZ/GETTY IMAGES
Rafael has his younger sister María Isabel to thank for serving up an ace. Mery and Rafael were introduced by María and they began dating in 2005 when he was 19 and she was 17.
The couple went public with their romance two years later in 2007.
Their lavish nuptials
MALLORCA, SPAIN – OCTOBER 19: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Mandatory credit of Fundacion Rafa Nadal needed.) In this handout photo provided by the Fundacion Rafa Nadal, Rafa Nadal poses with wife Xisca Perello for the official wedding portraits after they were married on October 19, 2019 in Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Fundacion Rafa Nadal via Getty Images)
MARÍA FRANCISCA PERELLO AND RAFAEL NADAL.
PIC: FUNDACION RAFA NADAL VIA GETTY IMAGES
After announcing their engagement in January 2019, Rafael and Mery spared now expense when it came to celebrating their love that October.
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The couple tied the knot in front of a ceremony of 350 people at ancient Spanish fortress La Fortaleza in Majorca.
The estate, which is also where Gareth Bale and his wife Emma Rhys-Jones said ‘I do’, boasts seven luxurious villas complete with 17 en-suite bathrooms, two swimming pools and its own helicopter landing pad.
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La Fortaleza, overlooking the bay of Pollensa in north-east Majorca, was bought by UK Conservative Party donor Lord Lupton in 2011 for €35.8million, €53.8million below the asking price!
Their family
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 27: Maria Francisca Perello, wife of Rafael Nadal with their son Rafael Nadal Junior support Rafael Nadal and partner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain against Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina in the Men’s Doubles first round match on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on July 27, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
RAFAEL NADAL’S WIFE MARÍA FRANCISCA PERELLO WITH THEIR SON RAFAEL. PIC: ANDY CHEUNG/GETTY IMAGES
Rafael and Mery’s little bundle of joy arrived on October 8, 2022, three years after they tied the knot when the couple welcomed a baby boy, also named Rafael, to the world.
It’s been reported that the couple wanted to wait until towards the end of Rafael’s career to start a family as he wouldn’t be able to lend adequate time to his personal life while being so focused on his tennis career.
Speaking at a press conference before welcoming his son, Rafael said: ‘I don’t know what will change in my life because I don’t have experience, but I don’t think it will change my professional life,’ he said of becoming a father.’
Working together
MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 22: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (R) and his wife Maria Francisca Perello (L) pose for a photo with the Laureus Sport for Good Award during the 2024 Laureus World Sport Awards Madrid at Palacio De Cibeles on April 22, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)
MARÍA FRANCISCA PERELLO AND RAFAEL NADAL. PIC: BURAK AKBULUT/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
Mery, a business graduate, has worked for the Rafa Nadal Foundation since April 2012.
Initially, she began her career at the foundation as a project manager but she was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in November 2019. Mery is also a secretary on the board of trustees.
Per its website, the Rafa Nadal Foundation, set up by Rafael and his mum Ana Maríá in 2008, helps children in Spain and Italy experience ‘transformative power of sport and education’.
Supporting her husband
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 17: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME. MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES REQUIRED) Maria Francisca Perello (L) and tennis player Rafael Nadal attend ‘A Night With The Stars’ Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Gala hosted by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and supported by Moet & Chandon at Battersea Power Station on November 17, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)
MARÍA FRANCISCA PERELLO AND RAFAEL NADAL.
PIC: DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES
There’s no doubt Mery’s a supportive wife, but she prefers to keep that support out of the limelight and rarely appears in the crowd at Rafael’s matches.
The mum-of-one is susceptible to stress and believes that staying away from Rafael’s matches makes their relationship stronger.
Speaking to The Telegraph in 2011, she said: ‘He needs his space when he is competing, and just the idea of me hanging around and waiting on his needs all day tires 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.’
Looking to retirement
Rafa Nadal’s farewell to professional tennis after being knocked out of the Quarter-Final of the Davis Cup Final
RAFA NADAL’S FAREWELL TO PROFESSIONAL TENNIS AFTER BEING KNOCKED OUT OF THE QUARTER-FINAL OF THE DAVIS CUP FINAL. PIC: GETTY IMAGES
When Rafael announced his retirement in October he penned an open letter to his family and thanked Mery for everything she’s done to support him.
Rafael wrote: ‘My wife, Mery, and I have been together for 19 years. Thank you for everything you have done. You have been my perfect travel companion during all these years of my career.
‘Coming home every day and seeing how my son is growing has been a force that has kept me alive and given me the energy necessary to continue.’
Rafael Nadal (far left) leaves the court after his defeat while his family including wife Mery and their son look on. Pic: Getty
RAFAEL NADAL (FAR LEFT) LEAVES THE COURT AFTER HIS DEFEAT WHILE HIS FAMILY INCLUDING WIFE MERY AND THEIR SON LOOK ON. PIC: GETTY
Rafael’s final match was in the Davis Cup Finals in November 2024 where he lost to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
According to Sky News, Rafael got teary as he told the crowd: ‘What I have tried to do is to be a good person and I hope you have perceived that.
‘I leave the tennis world having met so many friends along the way. I have so many people to thank. I leave with the peace of mind of having left a sporting and personal legacy I can be proud about.’
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