Rafael Nadal has become a father for the second time.
The 39-year-old tennis legend and his wife Mery Perello, 37, welcomed son Miquel into the world on Thursday at a hospital in Palma, Mallorca, according to local news reports.
The couple — who are also parents to two-year-old Rafa — poignantly chose to name the new arrival after Perello’s father, who died in April 2023 at the age of 63 following a long illness.
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Perello and Miquel left the hospital to return home to their family on Saturday.
Nadal and his wife keep their personal lives private and have not made an official announcement about the new arrival.
Perello’s pregnancy was only made public in April when photographs were published showing her growing baby bump.
The couple also didn’t announce Rafa’s birth, though the sportsman had confirmed his wife was pregnant a few months beforehand.
“I’m not used to talking about my private life. We live calmer with a lower profile. I don’t expect that my life will change much with it,” Nadal said at the time.
Rafael Nadal’s wife Maria Francisca Perello and their son at Roland Garros. Credit: Getty Images Perello, also known as Xisca, gave up her job in insurance to become project director for the Rafael Nadal Foundation, the charity founded by the tennis player more than a decade ago.
The couple were dating 14 years before they married, with Rafael revealing in January 2019 they were engaged before their marriage in October the same year.
He had previously spoken about his desire to have children, describing himself as a “family guy”, but admitting his sporting career had made it difficult to think about having kids.
“I would love to have children, boys, girls … I’m a person who loves kids and I’m a family guy,” he said.
“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.”