Rafael Nadal has become a father for the second time.
The 39-year-old tennis star and his wife Mery Perello, 37, who already have a two-year-old son named Rafa, welcomed their second son on August 7th at the Quirónsalud Palmaplanas hospital in Palma, Mallorca.
Local news outlets report that the couple chose to name their new baby after Mery’s father, Miguel, who passed away in April 2023 at the age of 63 following a long illness.
Rafael Nadal, who made history with 92 singles titles, including 22 Grand Slams, before retiring in 2024, is known for being fiercely private and has yet to make an official announcement about the birth of his second son.
The couple also kept quiet about the birth of their first son, Rafa, though Rafael had confirmed Mery’s pregnancy a few months prior.
Former tennis star Boris Becker, 57, who is also expecting a child with his wife Lilian, 35, seemingly confirmed the news with a heartfelt post on X (formerly Twitter).
Boris Becker congratulated Rafael Nadal and his wife Mery, writing on X: “Congratulations to @RafaelNadal and his wife Maria welcoming their second boy Miquel! May God bless the child!”
Daily Mail has reached out to Rafael’s representatives for further comment.
Rafael, who is famously private, previously shared that he doesn’t discuss his personal life much. He said, “We live calmer with a lower profile. I don’t expect that my life will change much with it.”
The tennis star has often spoken about his desire to have children, describing himself as a “family guy.” However, he admitted that his sporting career made it challenging to think about starting a family. He said, “I would love to have children, boys, girls, I’m a person who loves kids and I’m a family guy. But the reality is, the years keep passing, I would like to start doing all of this when my sporting life determines it.”
Rafael and Mery were together for 14 years before marrying, with Rafael revealing in January 2019 that they were engaged. They tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Mallorca in October 2019.
It was rumored that Juan Carlos I, the former King of Spain, attended the wedding, with Michelin-star chef Quique Dacosta reportedly in charge of catering. While there were whispers he might arrive by helicopter, Juan Carlos I made a more low-key entrance in a Suzuki people carrier.
The former King of Spain, who abdicated the throne in 2014, is a longtime friend of Rafael Nadal and greeted the crowds warmly with a wave as he was chauffeured to the glamorous wedding in Mallorca.
Mery, who is known for her incredibly private nature, once shared her thoughts on her relationship with Rafael. She said traveling with him everywhere wouldn’t be healthy for either of them. “He needs his space when he’s 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.”
In May, a year after what turned out to be his final match at Roland Garros, Rafael was honored by his peers, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, at the French Open. Thousands of t-shirts with the message ‘Merci Rafa’ were placed on Philippe Chatrier’s 15,000 seats, along with a few hundred white shirts that spelled out ‘RAFA’ with a love heart and ’14 RG,’ to commemorate his record-breaking number of championships at the tournament.
Rafael’s official retirement ceremony took place last November in a poignant moment, when his defeat in singles led to Spain’s elimination from the Davis Cup. The tennis world, in a way, came together to pay tribute to him, and Roland Garros orchestrated a perfect farewell. Rafael, dressed in black, took the mic and began with a little-known story about his first visit to the courts as a 17-year-old, unable to compete due to injury.
Rafael, overcome with emotion, thanked the crowd, saying: “Thank you very much. This is difficult. This is tough. I have lived many emotions on this court, without a doubt the most important tennis court in my career.”
He reminisced about his journey, recalling his first visit to Roland Garros in 2004: “It has been an incredible story that began in 2004 when I came to Roland Garros for the very first time. I could barely walk due to my foot injury, but that year I climbed to the top of the court on crutches and looked from up there. I dreamed of coming back the following year to compete. In 2005, I was finally able to play here for the first time.”
By the end of his speech, Rafael was in tears. The emotional moment was made even more special when he was joined on court by his longtime rivals, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.
Rafael, deeply moved, said: “It means a lot that you are all here. You pushed me to my mental, physical limits. Nothing could have been so thrilling without these long-lasting rivalries to keep us pushing every single day.”
The ceremony concluded with a poignant and theatrical gesture: a groundsman appeared with a brush to clear a section of clay, revealing a plaque bearing Rafael’s name and footprint. The announcer declared: “Your footprint will stay here forever.”