NEED TO KNOW
Rafael Nadal and wife Mery Perelló have welcomed their second baby, Miquel, a rep for for the former professional tennis player confirms to PEOPLE
The newborn was named after Perelló’s late father, per the Europa Press news agency
The family’s new addition comes 10 months after Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis
Rafael Nadal is a father of two!
On Monday, Aug. 11, a rep for the former pro tennis player confirmed to PEOPLE that he and his wife Mery “Xisca” Perelló had become a family of four, after the birth of their baby Miquel last week.
The newborn was named after Perelló’s father, who died in April 2023 following a lengthy illness, according the Europa Press news agency.
No additional information, including the baby’s sex, was immediately available.
Nadal, 39, and Perelló, 37, are already parents to son Rafael Jr., who was born in October 2022.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Jean Catuffe/Getty
Rafael Nadal and son Rafael Jr. in Paris on May 25, 2025
The family’s newest addition also comes 10 months after Nadal announced his retirement from professional tennis.
In a video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) Oct. 10, 2024, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said that the final of the Davis Cup in Malaga, Spain — which he lost to Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp — would be his final tournament.
“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, especially these last two,” Nadal said in Spanish, alongside English subtitles. “I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision and one that has taken me some time to make.”
He continued, “But, in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think 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.”
Nadal also paid tribute to his wife in the announcement.
“Mery, we have been together for 19 years. Thank you for everything you have done,” 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.”
Fundacion Rafa Nadal via Getty
Rafael Nadal and Mery Perelló in Mallorca, Spain, on Oct. 19, 2019
Meanwhile, Nadal has maintained that family and fatherhood will always be the most important part of his life.
“In most ways it’s been for the better because, even if I’ve lost or gotten injured, coming home and seeing him changes my mood,” he said earlier this year on a Spanish TV show called El Hormiguero, per ¡Hola!.
https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf
After being honored at the French Open in May, the sports icon revealed that he would support Rafael Jr. if he wanted to become a tennis player.
“If that’s what my son wants to do, I’m going to support him,” Nadal said, per Vanity Fair. “I don’t think that will be the case, but I’m going to support him in whatever he wants to do.”
Read the original article on People
