Game, set, match! Rafael Nadal found young love with Mery Francisca “Xisca” Perelló — and the two have been together ever since.
The duo, who began dating when they were teenagers, have tried their best to remain relatively low-key about their romance.
“Even if my family asks me about Rafael, I prefer not to say much,” Perelló explained in an excerpt from Nadal’s 2011 memoir, Rafa: My Story. “The fact is that I just don’t feel comfortable talking about these things, even in private. It’s what works for me, and what works for Rafael and me as a couple. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Over the years, however, they have opened up about the bigger milestones of their relationship, including their May 2018 engagement. (The pair kept the proposal a secret for almost eight months before confirming the news.)
“When you’ve been together for 15 years, we don’t need to talk much,” the professional athlete said during a 60 Minutes interview in 2021, sharing that his decision to get down on one knee came easy after so many years together. “Just, well, we have to do it, finally.”
Perelló, for her part, joked about the way Nadal proposed while the lovebirds were on a romantic trip in Italy. “Yes or no!” she quipped.
Less than a year later, the twosome tied the knot at La Fortazleza in Mallorca, Spain, in October 2019. The newlyweds reportedly celebrated their nuptials with over 350 loved ones in attendance including the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I.
Two months after saying “I do,” Nadal reflected back on his most precious memory of that year.
“Now to say goodbye to all of you I leave you this last great memory of 2019 and I take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2020!” he wrote via Instagram in December 2019 alongside a photo of himself and his bride holding hands at their wedding.
The tennis star later got candid about his desire to have kids with Perelló. “Obviously, I have the intention of forming a family,” he said during a January 2020 interview with Hello! magazine. “I love children and I would like my children to do what they like. … At the age we are now we’re not going to wait five years.”
The couple were married for just over two years before Nadal revealed that they would soon be a family of three.
“If everything goes well, I’m going to be a father,” he said during a June 2022 press conference. “I’m not used to talking about my private life. We live more peacefully with a lower profile. I don’t expect that my life will change much with it.”
Keep scrolling to relive Nadal and Perelló’s complete relationship timeline:
Neither Nadal nor Perelló have confirmed how they got together, but multiple reports suggest they were introduced by the 22-time Grand Slam winner's sister, Maria. In his memoir, which was released in 2011, Nadal confirmed that he and the business graduate began dating six years prior, in 2005. Henry Lamb/BEI/Shutterstock
Perelló revealed why she rarely traveled with her beau during tournaments. “Travelling together everywhere, even if I could, would not be good either for him or for me,” she said in an excerpt from his tell-all. “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.” Ben Queenborough/Shutterstock
The couple made their red carpet debut at the ATP World Tour Finals Gala, “A Night With the Stars.” Shutterstock
The pair shared a rare moment of PDA when they locked lips in the stands after Nadal won the French Open for the third year in a row. Miquel Benitez/Shutterstock
The duo enjoyed a romantic getaway together in Basel, Switzerland. “Paseando por #Basilea. Taking a walk in #Basel,” Nadal captioned a photo via Instagram of the twosome posing on a bridge. Courtesy Rafael Nadal/Instagram
Nadal proposed while on a trip to Italy, but the lovebirds kept their engagement under wraps for eight months before publicly confirming the news. Shutterstock
Nadal and Perelló tied the knot at La Fortazleza in Mallorca, Spain, surrounded by 350 of their closest friends and family. Larry Marano/Shutterstock
The four-time U.S. Open winner got candid about wanting to start a family with his new bride. “I love children and I would like to form part of a family, and at the age we are now we’re not going to wait five years,” he gushed during an interview with Hello! Magazine. Javier Garcia/BPI/Shutterstock
The twosome took a hike in Mallorca, Spain. “Cruising around... summer evenings that are spectacular in Mallorca,” Nadal wrote via Instagram alongside a sweet snap of the couple enjoying the view in the countryside. Courtesy Raphael Nadal/Instagram
The Spain native revealed he and his wife were expecting baby No. 1. “If everything goes well, I’m going to be a father,” he shared during a press conference, adding, “I’m not used to talking about my private life,” he said. “We live more peacefully with a lower profile. I don’t expect that my life will change much with it." CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock
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