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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Meredith Clark

Rafael Nadal and wife Mery Perello are expecting their first child after 17 years together

Instagram / Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal’s wife Maria Francisca Perello is pregnant with the couple’s first child, according to Spanish magazine Hola!

Pregnancy rumours circulated in May when the tennis star’s wife wore loose-fitting clothing and a face mask to the Champion’s League final in Paris last May, where her 36-year-old husband won his 22nd Grand Slam title. Speculation grew earlier this week when Perello, 33, was pictured on a yacht in Majorca sporting what appears to be a baby bump.

The Spanish couple have yet to publicly confirm the pregnancy news.

Nadal and Perello have been together for nearly 17 years, having met when they were teenagers. The couple officially tied the knot in October 2019 on the La Fortaleza estate in Majorca.

The tennis champion has previously opened up about his plans to start a family, revealing to Hola! in March 2018 that “obviously, I intend and want to form a family,” he said. “I love children and I would like them to do what they want in life.’”

Nadal claimed his 14th French Open win on 5 June, moving him to a total of 22 grand slam titles – two ahead of rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

The tennis star is expected to claim another victory at Wimbledon 2022, which begins 27 June.

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