Rafael Nadal's Wife Refuses To Go To Her Husband's Games, And There’s A Strange Explanation

Mery and Nadal walked down the aisle in 2019 on the Spanish island of Majorca. They said “I do” at the same fortress, La Fortaleza, that was famously seen in the BBC’s hit TV drama The Night Manager. This was also the same venue at which another sportsman, Welsh soccer international Gareth Bale, had got hitched to Emma Rhys-Jones the year previously.  

Approximately 350 guests were there to witness the coming together of Nadal and his wife, who have been a couple for longer than you may think. This list included Juan Carlos I, the one-time king of Spain, and Juan Monaco, another professional tennis player from Argentina. It’s unlikely, though, that the bride would have seen much of the latter on the tennis circuit.  

The groom, on the other hand, would have bumped into Monaco regularly. Nadal has been a tennis professional since the age of just 15 after all. Yes, having taken up the sport with his uncle when he was barely out of diapers, the Spaniard spent his high-school years winning trophy after trophy. And in 2004 he made headlines for becoming the youngest player to make it through to Wimbledon’s third round men’s draw since former champion Boris Becker. 

Nadal picked up his first Grand Slam aged just 19 at the French Open. And having scooped another seven singles titles on the same surface that same year, the Spaniard was soon hailed as the “King of Clay.” In 2008 Nadal competed in Wimbledon’s longest-ever final — beating Roger Federer in the process — and made it right to the pinnacle of the game: he was ranked world number one.

Alongside Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, Federer and Nadal would go on to form the “Big Four.” This was the name given to the group that dominated the men’s game throughout the following decade. In 2010 the Spaniard became only the second man in tennis history to have won every single major and a gold medal at the Olympics.  

Nadal’s career faltered slightly in the early 2010s. Not only did he suffer an unexpected second-round defeat at Wimbledon to Czech unknown Lukas Rosol, he was also forced to pull out of that same year’s Olympics due to an injury. Of course, Rafa — as he’s affectionately also known to his many fans — soon proved that you write him off at your peril. 

 Yes, just a year later Nadal bounced back in style to win at both the French and U.S. Open. By the end of 2013 he had returned to the number-one spot in the world rankings. Another victory at Roland Garros the following year meant that only his rival Federer had won more majors in the men’s game.  

Unfortunately, Nadal did struggle more and more with injuries as he entered his 30s. But he did manage to add another Olympic gold to his haul with a doubles victory at Rio 2016. And a year later he once again did the U.S. and French Open double. Then in 2018 he racked up the 400th win on clay on his way to the Barcelona Open title.  

The year 2022 would prove to be a hugely significant one for Nadal’s career. That’s right: victories at the French and Australian Open took his tally of Grand Slam titles to an astonishing 22. And this means, at the time of writing, that he has overtaken Federer and Djokovic as the most successful player in the history of the men’s game!

But while you could write a mammoth tome about Nadal’s career much less is known about his life off the court. Following one of his many French Open victories the Spaniard told the press, “I’m not used to talking about my personal life, prefer to keep a low-profile.” Of course, we do know that he’s now a married man. And that he will soon be hearing the pitter-patter of tiny feet.

Nadal had previously revealed that he had plans to start a family with wife Mery, but only when his career winds down. The Spaniard told British newspaper The Sun, “I would love to have children: boys, girls… I’m a person who loves kids and I’m a family guy. 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.”

But you can’t always plan such things. And in June 2022 — a period in which Nadal’s sporting career was thriving — the Spaniard revealed that he and wife Mery were going to become parents. At a French Open press conference Rafael said, “I don’t anticipate this meaning a change to my professional life.”

Who knows whether Nadal will continue playing long enough for his son or daughter to see him win another title? But it’s unlikely that his wife will do so. Yes, Mery has been a notable absence in the crowd whenever her hubby has emerged victorious. But there’s actually a valid, if rather unusual reason, for Mery’s no-shows.  

Mery, whose full name is Maria Francisca Perello, first met Nadal way back in their teenage years. She was actually introduced to the tennis star through Maribel, his younger sibling. They only became an item in 2005, but they have been together ever since. Well, apart from when the sporting legend hits the tennis circuit, of course.

Not that Mery is totally against mixing business with pleasure. She did quit her role in the insurance industry to take a project-director position at her husband’s eponymous foundation after all. Nadal decided to launch this charitable endeavor in 2018, the same year that he also asked Mery to marry him.  

Of course, being such a private couple, the pair didn’t tell the press about their engagement for another eight months! The news only came out shortly after Nadal lost to one of his three main rivals, Djokovic, at the Australian Open in January 2019. Considering how hush-hush the couple are, you might be surprised to learn that Mery had given a surprisingly candid interview for Nadal’s book eight years earlier.  

Yes, in 2011, long before she became Mrs Nadal, Mery spoke about her relationship with her then-boyfriend in his memoir My Story. And it was here that she revealed why she tried to give Nadal’s tennis career a wide berth. Mery said, “Traveling together everywhere, even if I could, would not be good either for him or for me.”

Still working at a Mallorca insurance company at the time, Mery went on to explain, “[Nadal] needs his space when he is competing. And just the idea of me hanging around waiting on his needs all day wears me out. It would asphyxiate me. And then he would have to be worrying about me… No. If I followed him everywhere, I think there’s a risk we might stop getting along.” 

Mery then recalled one particular occasion which made her glad she’d taken such a stance. Nadal had invited her to a Parisian function that had been organized by one of the tennis icon’s sponsors. Unsurprisingly, Mery declined and on his return her husband informed her that she’d made the right choice.

According to Nadal the venue had been bombarded by paparazzi. Mery said, “For me to have gone would have meant stepping into that celebrity world. It’s not a world I want to be part of, nor do I think Rafa would have chosen to be with a woman who looked for that in life.” 

And Mery’s aversion to discussing her relationship isn’t just with the press. The Spaniard went on to explain, “Even if my family asks me about Rafael. I prefer not to say much. The fact is that I just don’t feel comfortable talking about these things, even in private. It’s what works for me, and what works for Rafael and me as a couple. We wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Nadal appears to appreciate Mery’s discretion, too. In his memoir he wrote that Mery and the rest of his family “cocoon me from the dangerously distracting hurly-burly that comes with money and fame, and create the environment of affection and trust I need to allow my talent to flower. To imagine my good fortune and success in their absence is to imagine the impossible”. 

But Nadal didn’t have any qualms about asking his family to contribute to the book about his life. My Story also sees sibling Maribel give more of an insight into the sportsman’s personality, including the bond that they share. She said, “Most boys growing up see their younger sisters as irritations, especially when they are teenagers but that has never been the way Rafael has treated me.” 

Maribel continued, “He’s always urged me to come along when he goes out with his friends. It’s natural to us, even if others might sometimes find it strange, and it’s part of the secret of our special bond.” And Rafael’s mother was more than happy to spill a few beans, too.

Yes, Ana Maria Nadal also revealed that her son can be something of a scaredy-cat. She said, “Deep down, he is a super-sensitive human being full of fears and insecurities that people who don’t know him would scarcely imagine. He doesn’t like the dark, for example, and he prefers to sleep with the light, or the TV, on.” 

No doubt much to Nadal’s embarrassment, his mother continued, “He is not comfortable with thunder and lightning, either. When he was a child he’d hide under a cushion when that happened. And, even now, when there’s a storm and you need to go outside to fetch something, he won’t let you.” 

As well as exposing his fear of the dark Ana also revealed that Nadal hates tomato, ham, and cheese, is an overly cautious driver, and repeatedly calls her to ensure that the flames in her fireplace have burned out each night. We get the feeling that the tennis icon probably regretted asking his family to utter a few words. But not everything that they said still holds true more than a decade on.  

Yes, although Mery certainly isn’t as present as most other tennis professionals’ wives, she has relaxed her ‘no attendance’ routine to some degree. In 2020 for example, she graced the Australian Open with her presence to see Rafael compete in a mammoth five-hour final. And Mery proved to be a good-luck charm as the Spaniard emerged victorious in a match he described as one of the most emotional in his career.  

And Mery continued to bring her husband good fortune when she saw him defeat Taylor Fritz in the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finals. Sadly, Nadal’s luck ran out soon after when he had to withdraw from the semi-finals. The Spaniard was left with no option but to pull out having injured a muscle in his torso.