Inside Rafael Nadal’s private life with wife who worried they’d ‘stop getting along’ | Tennis | Sport

Rafael Nadal is one of the most famous sportsmen in history but little is known about his closely guarded private life. The Spaniard was synonymous with the French Open during his time on the court and with the final of the 2026 edition taking place on Sunday, Nadal, with his record 14 titles at Roland Garros, looms large as a spectre over the tournament. While it’s common knowledge that he held the world No. 1 ranking for 209 weeks and won a staggering 22 Grand Slam titles, many may not be aware that he has been with his wife Maria Francisca Perello, known as Mery, since high school.

Rafa and Mery grew up in the same part of Mallorca and are said to have been introduced through the tennis idol’s younger sister, Maria Isabel. In his 2011 memoir, Rafa: My Story, Nadal confirmed that the couple began dating in 2005, and on October 19, 2019, they wed at La Fortaleza, a 17th-century castle in their hometown. While they’re obviously close and have two children together, Mery confessed in 2011 that she didn’t join her husband on his travels on the tennis circuit for fear they might stop ‘getting along’.

“Travelling together everywhere, even if I could, would not be good either for him or for me,” Mery told The Telegraph. “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.”

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Mery is believed to have studied business management at the University of the Balearic Islands. She later attended a business school in Barcelona and took on a sports marketing job in London before joining the Rafa Nadal Foundation in 2012 as a project manager. She has since become Director General.

The couple welcomed their first son, Rafael Jr., in October 2022, and their second, Miquel, in August 2025. In typical fashion, the couple have been understandably evasive about their children and maintain a low profile in their hometown of Mallorca.

“I’m not used to talking about my private life,” Nadal said as he and Mery announced they were expecting Rafael Jr in 2022. “We live more peacefully with a lower profile. I don’t expect that my life will change much with it.”

While they remain a strictly private family, Rafael Jr. had previously been spotted in the stands cheering for his father. Nadal explained that tennis could be an avenue for his son in the future, if he wishes.

He told Vanity Fair: “If that’s what my son wants to do, I’m going to support him. I don’t think that will be the case, but I’m going to support him in whatever he wants to do.”

Nadal retired from the tennis court in 2024. In June 2025, he made headlines as King Felipe made the tennis star, and by extension, Mery, a Spanish noble.

The Royal granted the 40-year-old the honour of becoming the new and first Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, making Mery the Marchioness of Llevant de Mallorca. Both of their sons are also in line of succession for the title.

Nadal also gave fans a sneak peek at his private life in the Netflix series Rafa. What is certainly known about him, however, is his passion for golf, something he admitted makes Mary “suffer”.

During a charity tournament in Madrid earlier this year, he confessed: “I follow golf every week and my wife suffers because of it.” While he’s enjoying his retirement, he revealed he had received wildcard offers in the past to play in professional golf events, perhaps hinting at a second chapter for his sporting endeavours.

“I’ve been offered an invitation several times, but so far the circumstances haven’t been right,” he said. “You never know in the future, but I would have to feel like I was playing without making a fool of myself and with the hope of at least being able to compete, even if it’s just against myself.”