It’s official! Professional tennis player Rafael Nadal and his girlfriend of 14 years, Mery Francisca “Xisca” Perelló, are engaged.
The 32-year-old Olympian confirmed the news to HOLA! magazine in a story posted on Wednesday, January 30, revealing he proposed to his longtime love, 30, during a romantic trip to Italy in May 2018. The couple — who kept their happy news a secret for eight months — are set to wed in the fall in Mallorca, an island in Spain.
Nadal previously opened up about his relationship with Perelló in an interview with HOLA!’s sister publication, Hello!, detailing his hopes to someday welcome children with her. “Obviously, I have the intention of forming a family,” he explained. “I love children and I would like my children to do what they like.”
Fans couldn’t contain their excitement for Nadal and Perelló’s happy news, taking to Twitter to gush over their engagement.
“Congratulations @RafaelNadal!!! It makes us very happy to take this step with Xisca. Thank you for teaching us the good things in life. Bless you,” one wrote. Another added: “@RafaelNadal congrats to your engagement with Xisca finally!! Your lives will be even better and happier together for sure!!”
The athlete — who is currently ranked No. 2 in the world for the racket-wielding sport — most recently lost the Australian Open to fellow tennis star Novak Djokovic. Nadal, whose newly minted fiancée was in the stands cheering him on, was seemingly in good spirits as he departed the tournament despite the loss.
“So long #melbourne as always it was a pleasure to be there and play the @australianopen looking forward to the rest of the season and to coming back to #australia next year!!!” Nadal captioned an Instagram photo on Monday, January 28.
