Nadal Set To Wed Tomorrow

The king of clay will wed his queen tomorrow.Rafael Nadal is set to marry long-time fiancée Maria "Xisca" Perello at the famed fortress La Fortaleza in the couple's native Mallorca.Del Potro: Top 10 Days DoneA distinguished guest list of about 150 includes King Juan Carlos, Carlos Moya, Feliciano Lopez, who wed last month, Fernando Verdasco and other Spanish players, local media reports.The 33-year-old Nadal has dated his 31-year old fiancée for 14 years.

Hola Magazine reported Rafa popped the question to Xisca during a romantic evening in Rome in May of 2018.The Roland Garros champion hinted at the engagement during an on-court interview with Jim Courier at the 2019 Australian Open in January."I said to you a couple of years ago in 2017 was the first time she was able to be here," Rafa said of Xisca. "She received a wild card in that moment. And now after 14 years together, she doesn't need a wild card at all. She's coming wherever she wants. That's how it works."See Nadal's comments at about 3:30 of the video here:
The couple share a common cause: helping kids through the Rafa Nadal Foundation. Xisca is director of strategy for the Foundation. Nadal and his mother, Ana Maria, are the co-founders and his father, Sebastian, is a member of the board of trustees for the foundation.The 19-time Grand Slam champion announced he plans to play both the Paris Masters and the season-ending ATP Finals at London's O2 Arena next month.Could their soon be children in the couple's future? Nadal has often said he loves kids and hopes to raise a family."Obviously, I have the intention of forming a family," Nadal said. "I love children and I would like my children to do what they like."I would love to have children, boys, girls. I am a person who loves kids and I'm a family guy."  ]]>

Chris Oddo is a freelance sportswriter, podcaster, blogger and social media marker who is a lead contributor to Tennisnow.com. He also writes for USOpen.org, Rolandgarros.com, BNPParibasOpen.com, TennisTV.com, WTAtennis.com and the official US Open program.