Rafael Nadal’s wife Maria Francisca (“Mery”) Perello gave birth to the couple’s first child – a boy – on Saturday in Palma de Mallorca, according to several Spanish publications. Along with the name of their firstborn, the news of Mery giving birth to their child has not been confirmed yet, but multiple outlets reported the baby is named after Nadal.
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The 36-year-old tennis player flew back from London a few weeks ago, after teaming up with longtime contemporary Roger Federer in the Swiss’ final match of his career on the opening night at Laver Cup.
After the two were defeated at The O2 Arena by Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, this is what Nadal said of his friendship with Federer: “In the family life, personal life, probably we approach life not in a very different way, no? So that’s why we can trust each other, we can speak very often, and we’re able to speak very feeling free, feeling confident.”
“Having somebody like Roger that I feel confident to talk about any personal thing, it’s something that it’s very beautiful after all the things that we shared together and all the important things that we [fought] for such a long time,” said Nadal, according to the Tennis website.
“Very proud to be part of his career in some way. But even for me happier to finish our career like friends after everything we shared on court like rivals,” he added.
As for the father department, Nadal now officially joins fellow Big Four members Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.
And as for his return to the court, it remains to be seen when will the Spaniard return to the ATP Tour this season, while he also has a multi-city exhibition series slated to begin November 23 with Casper Ruud in Buenos Aires.
Nadal has already 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, including two in 2022, but perhaps no bundle of joy will surpass becoming a father for the first time.
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