Tennis Star Rafael Nadal Expecting Baby Boy With Wife Mery Perello After 17 Years Together

The tennis superstar and his wife met when they were teenagers and tied the knot in 2019. Now, they're awaiting the arrival of their first child!

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Image Credit: Atilano Garcia/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

Congratulations to Rafael Nadal and his wife Mery Perello! The tennis superstar, 36, and his gorgeous wife, 34, are expecting their first baby together, according to Spanish magazine Hola. The publication confirmed that Rafael and Mary are expecting a baby boy on September 29. The adorable couple, who met when they were teenagers and married in 2019, sparked pregnancy rumors after Mery wore loose fitting clothing to her hubby’s Champion’s League final in May and then appeared to have a growing baby bump in snaps taken during a yacht excursion in Majorca in June.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal and wife Mery Perello are expecting their first child together. (Atilano Garcia/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)

The expectant couple dated for nearly 14 years before getting engaged in May 2018. In the beginning of their relationship, they kept a low profile. Unknown to many, Mery made one of her first appearances to support Rafael at the 2007 Wimbledon tournament. Since the pair got together, Mery has gone on to earn her degree in business and now works at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca.

In 2019, Rafael and Mery walked down the aisle together in a fairytale wedding at a castle in Majorca, Rafael’s homeland. The couple reportedly invited 350 guests for the private ceremony, which took place at the British owned La Fortaleza estate. Mery wore a dress by designer Rosa Clara, and guests dined on food by Michelin-star chef Quique Dacosta.

A year before the nuptials, Rafael told Hola he was looking forward to becoming a father with his childhood sweetheart. “Obviously, I intend and want to form a family,” he explained. “I love children and I would like them to do what they want in life.”

The happy news comes as Rafael won the French Open on June 5 for the fourteenth time in his illustrious career, making him the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, which moves him ahead of rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer by a total of two Grand Slams. Rafael made it to the semi-finals at the 2022 Wimbledon Championship, before he withdrew due to an abdominal tear.