Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time – but why has the star decided not to have children with wife Xisca?
Rafael Nadal defended his French Open title two months ago, while also aiming to win the tournament for a record-extending 13th time.
Nadal skipped the recent US Open due to concerns over the coronavirus but he returned to the clay as he attempts to equal Roger Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles.
The Spaniard will meet Diego Schwartzman in the semi-finals and a potential clash with Novak Djokovic is also on the cards.
While Nadal’s achievements on the court are well documented, fans are also keen to know more about his personal life.
He married his long-term girlfriend Xisca Perello in October 2019 after 15 years together.
The wedding was held at a luxury seaside estate in Majorca, Spain, called La Fortaleza.
Nadal later welcomed in the new year by posting a rare photo of him and his wife on Instagram.
He included the caption: “Now to say goodbye to all of you I leave this last great memory of 2019 and take the opportunity to wish you all the best for 2020!”
Perello is a 32-year-old business graduate who works in insurance and is also the project director of the Rafa Nadal Foundation.
The couple do not yet have any children, something Nadal has opened about in the past.
He told Marca: “I keep my commitment with tennis and my happiness.
“I enjoy both in tennis and outside it. I have a girlfriend too and I am not alone to take decisions.
“You have to suit situations. Having family? I don’t know, things are not easy to be predicted.
“At this age, I thought that I would have already been a former player and that I would have started a family.”
Nadal, though, has also said he is open to the idea of having children in the near future.
“If I didn’t see myself playing tennis… then possibly, I could have had children before,” he told ATP Tour.
“It’s not something that just depends on you. I love children and I would like to form part of a family.”
