Rafael Nadal Marries Long-Time Girlfriend | Their 14-Year Love Story Culminated in a Beautiful, Spanish Wedding

The two have kept their relationship extremely private, but it is one that could inspire and touch people with how committed the couple is to each other.

By Ankita Mishra

October 22, 2019

Posted October 22, 2019

19 times Grand Slam-winner and tennis legend Rafael Nadal got married to his childhood sweetheart on Saturday, October 19, 2019, in Spain, reports AFP. There is no denying the fact that Nadal, 33, leads a super public life and is subjected to media scrutiny for almost everything he does. Therefore, it is surprising how his now-wife and he have been successful in keeping their relationship away from the brouhaha of global tabloidism.

As we wish them a lifetime full of happiness and prosperity, here is a look into their simple, heartfelt and private romance which has been an enigma for over a decade. According to Express, Nadal's wife, Xisca Perello, 31, is an insurance worker and business graduate, who sits as a director for the Rafa Nadal Foundation. She is also from Nadal's hometown Mallorca. He met her through her sister Maribel and has reportedly been going strong with her since 2005.

According to reports, a "super-sensitive" Nadal proposed to his long-time girlfriend Perello in May 2018, when the couple was on a "romantic trip" to Rome. Both Perello and Nadal shun the spotlight and like to keep their love life away from any kind of criticism and scrutiny. This is probably because Nadal is a supremely private person who likes to keep his private life to himself.

According to the Telegraph, his mother Anna Parera had once said, "Deep down, he is a super-sensitive human being full of fears and insecurities that people who don’t know him would scarcely imagine." The iconic tennis player also categorizes himself as a thorough family man who has always thought of having a family and giving the better part of his life and time to it.

Nadal, who rarely speaks about his love life, had once confessed about wanting to start a family with Perello on Argentine talk show Con Amigos Asi in 2017, "I would love to have children, boys, girls…I'm a person who loves kids and I'm a family guy." He also added that he wants to start a family when he is ready and not out of any pressure, "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. I think it's also, above all, about looking after the kids," he continued, noting that raising children while still a touring professional athlete didn't seem "ideal."

Therefore, Perello is definitely the perfect match for the champion as she has always supported him in his decisions and loved to keep their little world away from Nadal's world of celebrityhood. "Even if my family asks me about Rafael, I prefer not to say much. The fact is that I just don't feel comfortable talking about these things, even in private. It's what works for me, and what works for Rafael and me as a couple. We wouldn't have it any other way," she had said to the Telegraph in 2011.

She went on to add that they give each other their space and that is the key element of a strong relationship, " 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."

She also admitted that Nadal never wanted his love life circle around his celebrityhood and wanted a simple life to come back to from his super public life. She remembers a time when they were in Paris and he had to go to a dinner hosted by one of his sponsors. "He asked me if I wanted to go, but I chose not to,” she says. “I stayed in our hotel. When Rafael got back he said, ‘Thank God you didn’t come’. The place had been swarming with photographers. For me to have gone would have meant stepping into that celebrity world. It’s not a world I want to be part of, nor do I think Rafa would have chosen to be with a woman who looked for that in life."

In an interview, the wedding priest, Tomeu Catala, spoke about how Nadal is a man of value and their relationship is a very simple and private one. "Rafa Nadal is an example for the values he gives. That's why he is surrounded by people who love him. Rafa Nadal is a person who loves and who is loved, and who doesn't sell himself."

He added, "I will play my part to make the day very beautiful. The couple has a simple, personal and close relationship."

Nadal and Perello reportedly married each other at a Castle in Spain with just 350 guests and close invitees. Juan Carlos I, the king of Spain from 1975 to 2014, was believed to be among those in attendance.

CONGRATULATIONS! ❤️
Que seáis MUY FELICES! 😍

📸 @frnadal pic.twitter.com/7gaKSS9j9o
— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) October 20, 2019