Rafael Nadal has become a father for the second time.
The 39-year-old tennis player and his wife Mery Perello, 37, welcomed son Miquel into the world on Thursday at a hospital in Palma, Mallorca, according to local news reports.
The couple – who are also parents to two-year-old Rafa – poignantly chose to name the new arrival after Mery’s father, who died in April 2023 at the age of 63 following a long illness.
Perello and Miquel left the hospital to return home to their family on Saturday.
Nadal and his wife keep their personal lives private, and have made no official announcement about the new arrival.
Perello’s pregnancy became public only April when photographs were published showing her growing baby bump.
The couple also didn’t announce Rafa’s birth, though the sportsman had confirmed his wife was pregnant a few months beforehand.
“I’m not used to talking about my private life. We live calmer with a lower profile. I don’t expect that my life will change much with it,” Nadal said at the time.
Perello, also known as Xisca, gave up her job in insurance to become project director for the Rafael Nadal Foundation, the charity founded by the tennis player more than a decade ago.
The couple dated for 14 years before they married, with Nadal revealing in January 2019 they were engaged before their marriage in October the same year.
He had previously spoken about his desire to have children, describing himself as a “family guy”, but admitting his sporting career had made it difficult to think about having kids.
“I would love to have children, boys, girls … I’m a person who loves kids and I’m a family guy,” he said.
“But also I tell you that the reality is, the years keep passing, I would like to start to do all of this when my sporting life determines it.”
Live News
