Rafael Nadal, 39, and Mery Perelló, 37, have welcomed their second child at the Quirónsalud Palmaplanas Hospital in Palma. The baby adds even more excitement to this new chapter in the tennis star’s life since he made the difficult decision to retire from professional tennis.
In recent weeks all signs pointed to the baby’s arrival being imminent. Mery was notably absent on Monday, August 1, from the reception hosted by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, along with their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, for the Balearic authorities at Marivent Palace, where Nadal made his first public appearance as Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca at a royal event.
The baby has been named Miquel, a heartfelt tribute to Mery’s father, Miquel Perelló Mas, who passed away in April 2023 at the age of 63 after a long illness. By giving their second child his name, the couple is honoring his memory in a deeply personal way. With his arrival, their family has grown to include two children, with their firstborn, Rafael Junior, now two years and 10 months old.
The parents and their baby left the hospital on Saturday, August 9, after family had been visiting them since Thursday, August 7, to meet the newborn and offer their congratulations.
Rafael Nadal’s new chapter: Family over tennis
Everything has changed for the Manacor athlete in recent years. When his career was nearing its final stretch, Rafa came into the world—a long-awaited child who is now almost three and has just become a big brother. The couple never hid their desire to become parents. “I would love to be a father. I always thought I’d do it when I retired,” Nadal said in 2020 in Mi casa es la tuya. His retirement came later than he had probably expected, but his first child arrived earlier, on October 8, 2022. As he likely anticipated, his life took a dramatic turn. “In most ways it’s been for the better because, even if I’ve lost or gotten injured, coming home and seeing him changes my mood,” he said a few months ago on El Hormiguero, a famous TV show in Spain.
“I’ve always loved kids, but now I have a different kind of responsibility. I always thought that when I retired from tennis I would play golf four days a week because I love it, but in reality I only play two because I also enjoy being with my son. I want to spend time at home and pick him up from school,” he said about fatherhood in an interview on the podcast 'Con mucho de…'.
After becoming a father, it was time to say goodbye to the tennis courts and start a new chapter focused on his business ventures, but above all, on his family. He announced his decision on October 10, 2024, in an unforgettable video that featured his most heartfelt words dedicated to his wife: “My wife, Mery—we’ve been together for 19 years. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I think you’ve been the perfect partner on this journey throughout all these years of my career. Coming home every day and seeing my son grow has been a source of strength that has truly kept me alive and given me the energy to keep going,” he said.
They met in the Mallorcan town of Manacor, their hometown, when they were teenagers, and they’ve been together ever since. Always private about their personal lives, Rafa and Mery sealed their discreet but solid relationship with their wedding in 2019. After more than 14 years together, they said “I do” in front of about 250 guests in an outdoor religious ceremony held at Sa Fortaleza, a 17th-century castle in the north of Mallorca. Five years later, they have built a beautiful family of four, to which Rafa now has the privilege of devoting all the time that was once taken up by the demands of his life as an athlete.