The most successful Spanish tennis player of all time, Rafa Nadal, and his wife, María Francisca
Mery
Perelló, are expecting their first child together.
This has been confirmed, after weeks of comments, by the magazine
Hello!
, which in its Wednesday issue assures it and shows a series of photographs of the couple on board a ship where some images of Perelló in a swimsuit would show his incipient pregnancy.
EL PAÍS has consulted the athlete's environment, which expresses itself emphatically before the news: "Nothing to say about this matter."
In addition, this Wednesday, Rafa Nadal has been honored in Palma (Mallorca) by the Balearic Government to celebrate his professional career in an act presided over by the island president, Francina Armengol.
The event took place at one in the afternoon but, as the tennis player's foundation has communicated in a brief note this morning, when the news of the pregnancy broke, the media may be present but they will not be able to ask the athlete questions, reports from Palma
Lucia Bohorquez.
“Here I am respected and I live like a normal person, that is very important and it makes me have a full and happy life”, said the tennis player in that act.
“This is a simple recognition, which is how I am”, he assured in the brief act.
Nadal, who has just turned 36, and Perelló, about to turn 34, have been together for 18 years.
They met through his sister, Maribel, who was a good friend of Mery.
The couple got married almost three years ago in their homeland, Mallorca, on a farm in the north of the island called Sa Fortaleza.
It was a private link from which a couple of photographs were later distributed in which the bride and groom were seen embracing, he in a gray morning suit and she in a simple white bridal design by Rosa Clará.
Dozens of guests attended the celebration, including very famous faces such as David Ferrer, Feliciano López or Carlos Moyá, who arrived by bus to safeguard their privacy, with the exception of King Emeritus Juan Carlos, who arrived in his own vehicle.
More information
Mery Perelló, the discreet woman who walks next to Rafa Nadal
The 14-time winner of Roland Garros is a very discreet man with his private life and, for the moment, has avoided confirming the news.
But the athlete has been stating for years that he wanted to have children.
This was demonstrated in a talk with Andy Murray two years ago, during the pandemic.
"My children wake me up at six in the morning," said Murray, who has three children, and who recommended in a friendly tone that Nadal enjoy being able to get up late while there were no children at home.
“I hope to be in your situation within a short time”, Rafa answered then.
He had also commented on it in another conversation in 2017 with the former Argentine tennis player, a good friend of his, Juan Mónaco: “I would love to have some children.
I am a person who loves children, I am very familiar, and obviously I would like to start a family.
No less discreet than Rafa Nadal is his wife, who has always preferred to stay away from the spotlight and the media epicenter and who has barely spoken about her private life.
As director of the tennis player's foundation, her institutional role is important but her public appearances are rare.
The young woman is limited to accompanying Nadal in the most important matches and finals, but she flees from parties, posed, social networks and
photocalls
.
Rafa Nadal and Mery Perelló at their wedding, held in October 2019 in Sa Fortaleza, Mallorca.Rafa Nadal Foundation
Like Rafa Nadal, Perelló was born in Manacor, the daughter of a builder and an official from the Balearic town council.
She studied Business Administration and Management at the UIB (University of the Balearic Islands) and during that time she moved to the capital, Palma, to live in a shared apartment with a partner who was, in turn, the girlfriend of a friend of Nadal.
After finishing her studies, she did an internship in the communication department of Endesa, also in Palma de Mallorca, for four months in the summer of 2010, and then moved to London to work at IMG, one of the main
marketing multinationals.
sports, for a year later signing for Mapfre.
In April 2012, she joined the Rafa Nadal Foundation as project director and, since October 2019, when she got married, she is the general director.
EL PAÍS has consulted the athlete's environment, which expresses itself emphatically before the news: "Nothing to say about this matter."
In addition, this Wednesday, Rafa Nadal has been honored in Palma (Mallorca) by the Balearic Government to celebrate his professional career in an act presided over by the island president, Francina Armengol.
The event will take place at one in the afternoon but, as the tennis player's foundation has communicated in a brief note this morning, when the news of the pregnancy has jumped, the media may be present but they will not be able to ask the athlete questions, reports from Palm ntísime e
Lucia Bohorquez.
“I am respected and I live like a normal person, that is very important and very important and it makes me have a life and it makes me have a life and it makes me have a life and it makes me have a vid and it makes me have a vi and it makes me having a vy makes me have one and makes me have one and makes me have a and makes me have uy makes me have and makes me have and makes me have and makes me have and makes me te and makes me ty makes me and makes me y me c y me ha y me hy me y me ymyy
image to publicize the projects that are being developed”.
and it makes me have a full life and and me