Tennis Champ Shares Personal Update Months After Retiring

Rafael Nadal may have retired from tennis late last year, but he's recently taken on a new role after welcoming his second child. 

Nadal, 39, became a father for the second time when his wife, Mery Perelló, gave birth to a baby boy on August 7. Their son, Miquel, was named after Mery's late father who died in April 2023. 

The couple also share son Rafael Jr., whom they welcomed in October 2022. 

The tennis icon announced his plans to retire from the sport after more than two decades following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, especially these last two,” he said in an emotional video shared via social media that October. "I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations… it’s an appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”

The Spanish athlete said that the Davis Cup final held in Malaga, Spain, the following month would be his final professional tournament. In his retirement speech, he thanked his wife.

"My wife Mery: we’ve been together for 19 years. Thank you for everything you have done. I think you’ve been the perfect travel companion during all these years of career," he said. "To come home and see how my son is growing every day has been a force that has really kept me alive and with the necessary energy to continue."

Nadal and Perelló tied the knot in October 2019 in Mallorca after dating for more than a decade.