Getty Rafael Nadal's girlfriend, Xisca Perello, and sister, Maria Isabel Nadal, pictured at the 2018 US Open.
Rafael Nadal has been in a long-term relationship with girlfriend Maria “Xisca” Perelló, but the couple is not married. Nadal is one of the most famous tennis players in the world, but Perello prefers to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible. The couple is not married and does not have any children. Nadal admitted in a recent interview that he expected to already have a family by now, and it is something he still wants to have one day.
“A family? I don’t know; things are not so easy to foresee,” Nadal explained to MARCA. “At this age, I thought I would be retired and would have a family. To me, I think I see a more structured family with a more stable life and that is what I would have liked. The years are going on but it depends on what happens with my tennis and with my career; there will come a time when a decision must be made and when it arrives, it will come without any kind of stress. These are natural things that you go through in life.”
Perello is the project’s director for the Rafael Nadal Foundation. For now, Nadal is enjoying being one of the best tennis players in the game, and his relationship with Perello.
Learn more about Nadal’s girlfriend, and how she keeps him grounded away from tennis.
Nadal Believes Marriage & Children Will Be a Joint Decision With Perello
GettyRafael Nadal with his girlfriend Maria Perello and Albert II, Prince of Monaco.
Many of Nadal’s competitors are married and raising children with their spouse, but Nadal is not concerned with his peers. Nadal insists that his happiness comes from how he and Perello jointly decide to live their lives.
“I have a commitment to what makes me happy,” Nadal told MARCA. “My life leads me to live things one way, or to do things another. I also have a partner and it is not just me who decides things. You have to adapt to the situations that are happening. I enjoy what I love in tennis, as well as outside of it.”
Nadal’s Girlfriend Used to Avoid Going to Tournaments But Now Has Become a Fixture at Matches
GettyXisca Perello pictured watching Rafael Nadal play during the 2018 Wimbledon.
Perello was once leery of attending Nadal’s matches but now has become a regular at his major tournaments including the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. Back in 2011, Perello explained to The Telegraph that she did not enjoy traveling to Nadal’s matches but has since had a change of heart.
“Traveling together everywhere, even if I could, would not be good either for him or for me,” Perello explained to The Telegraph. “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.”
Nadal Would Like to be a Father
GettyRafael Nadal kisses Maria “Xisca” Perello at the 2016 Monte-Carlo ATP Masters Series Tournament.
The couple has been dating for more than a decade, but Perello has only done a few interviews. While Nadal has been public about his desire to have a family someday, Perello’s feelings remain private. On a 2017 Argentine talk show, Nadal noted he wanted to be a father but worried about his current travel schedule as a pro tennis player.
“I would love to have children, boys, girls… I’m a person who loves kids and I’m a family guy,” Nadal explained on the Argentine talk show Con Amigos Asi (via Metro). “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. I don’t know if it [traveling] is ideal.”
