Xisca Perello, born Maria Francisca Perello Riera and often known as Mery, is a Spanish businesswoman, entrepreneur, and the wife of retired tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
The two have known each other since childhood in Mallorca. They began dating in 2005 and married in October 2019.
When Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis in October 2024, he paid direct tribute to Xisca in his farewell message, calling her his perfect travel companion throughout nearly two decades together.
The couple now has two sons, and Xisca continues to lead the Rafa Nadal Foundation alongside her own independent business career.
Xisca Perello Biography
She was born on July 7, 1988, in Palma, Mallorca, Spain. Xisca Perello grew up in the same hometown as Rafael Nadal, and the two have known each other since childhood after being introduced through Nadal’s sister, Maria Isabel, when they were young.
Xisca attended the University of the Balearic Islands from 2006 to 2010, where she earned an undergraduate degree in Business Management.
She later pursued postgraduate studies at ESADE, a respected business school in Barcelona.
Career
Xisca Perello serves as the Director of the Rafa Nadal Foundation, an organization Nadal originally launched in 2007 alongside his mother, Ana María Parera.
Xisca has held various leadership roles within the organization over the years, including Director of Strategy and Institutional Relations.
The foundation’s mission is based on the belief that every child and young person deserves equal access to opportunity, using sport and education to help children reach their full potential regardless of their background, learning difficulties, or disabilities.
The foundation operates programs in both Spain and internationally, including a tennis academy for underprivileged children in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India.
The academy provides athletic training as well as broader social development support to the local community, including emergency food relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2024, the Rafa Nadal Foundation won the Sport for Good Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards, with Xisca personally accepting the honor alongside Rafael.
In March 2025, she helped lead the foundation’s third annual awards ceremony in Palma de Mallorca in partnership with UNESCO, presenting a special recognition award to retired Spanish Olympic sprinter and anti racism advocate Aauri Bokesa.
The award formed part of a broader partnership between the foundation and UNESCO focused on promoting inclusion and equity through sport.
Xisca has spoken about the foundation’s work in terms of social inclusion, emotional support, and educational access.
She has carried out this work with the same low public profile that has defined her approach to nearly every aspect of her life alongside one of the world’s most famous athletes.
Rafael Nadal’s Wife
Xisca Perello and Rafael Nadal have known each other since childhood, having grown up in the same community in Mallorca.
Their relationship turned romantic in 2005, and they dated for 14 years before marrying. Xisca notably avoided attending many of Nadal’s matches early in their relationship, explaining that she worried her presence courtside might disrupt his focus during competition.
She made a memorable exception, however, by watching him in person during the 2019 Australian Open final against Novak Djokovic.
The couple has consistently kept their relationship private throughout Nadal’s rise to tennis stardom.
When Nadal confirmed in June 2022 that they were expecting their first child, he explained his approach to privacy, telling reporters, “I’m already exposed enough in my professional life. My loved ones and I like to live with a low profile.”
Engagement and Wedding
Rafael Nadal proposed to Xisca Perello during a romantic trip to Rome in May 2018. However, the couple kept their engagement private for roughly eight months before it became public in early 2019.
Nadal later admitted he was genuinely annoyed that the news leaked to the press before they were ready to share it themselves, telling the Spanish outlet Marca that he preferred to keep his personal milestones private until he chose to discuss them.
They got married on October 19, 2019, at La Fortaleza, a historic villa overlooking the sea in Mallorca, in a ceremony attended by more than 300 guests, including prominent athletes, celebrities, and members of the Spanish royal family.
To preserve their privacy despite the scale of the event, the couple asked all attendees to leave their mobile phones in lockers before the ceremony began.
Xisca wore a long-sleeved ball gown-style dress with a lace bodice and jeweled neckline, designed by Spanish bridal designer Rosa Clará, and featuring a detachable train.
Children
Xisca and Rafael have two sons together. Their first child, Rafael Jr., was born on October 8, 2022. Their second son, Miquel, was born in August 2025, roughly 10 months after Nadal retired from professional tennis.
Miquel was named in honor of Xisca’s father, who died in April 2023 following a lengthy illness. Nadal has spoken about fatherhood as something he genuinely looked forward to throughout his career.
During a 2020 television appearance, he said he had always envisioned becoming a father after retiring from professional tennis.
He has also spoken candidly about his son’s future interests, telling an interviewer in 2024 that he would actually prefer Rafael Jr. to pursue a sport other than tennis. However, he would fully support him if tennis were what he chose.
