RAFAEL NADAL’s wife Maria Francisca Perello commonly known as Xisco Perello has never been one to hog the limelight.
While sometimes absent from the crowd Perello is always with the Spanish icon in spirit and she would have enjoyed her husband making it to the third round of Wimbledon.
But who is the key to his success and what has Xisca said about her reluctant fame?
Here is all we know on the beauty as her partner attempts to win a historic 22nd Grand Slam.
Xisca Perello – born Maria Francisca Perello’s first job was a sports marketer in London.
But she currently serves as project director for the Rafa Nadal Foundation, the charity which Nadal launched in 2008.
The pair reportedly started dating in 2005 despite having known each other for a number of years before.
Having dated for 17 years, it was a case of ‘finally’ when they tied the knot.
They announced their engagement in January 2019, before getting married the following October.
The couple said their vows in front of around 350 guests at the La Fortaleza castle in Majorca, the island of his birth.
Among the invitees were actors Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman and Hugh Laurie.
Congratulations are in order for Rafael Nadal and his wife Xisca as the lovebirds are reportedly expecting their first child together.
Despite the Spanish icon lifting securing another Roland Garros triumph, all eyes were on Perello who was spotted with a baby bump.
Nadals wishes are set to come true with the tennis legend stating in 2017 that he would love to have children of his own one day.
He commented: “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.”
Mr Nadal added that his sporting career has made it difficult to think about having children so far, saying: “I think it’s also above all about looking after the kids.
“I don’t know if it [travelling throughout the year and having children] is ideal.”
In one of her only interviews, Xisca Perello revealed that she chooses not to attend most of Nadal’s tennis matches in a bid to preserve their relationship.
She added that she is concerned she would disrupt her fellow Spaniard’s focus if she appeared at all events.
In an interview with The Telegraph in 2011, Xisca explained: “He needs his space when he is competing, and just the idea of me hanging around and waiting on his needs all day tires 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.”
However, she was a more frequent visitor at the 2020 Australian Open, and watched all of Nadal’s four-set win over Nick Kyrgios.
Xisca Perello doesn’t have any public social media channels.
However, admiring fans have set up social media accounts to share pictures.
Xisca has previously spoken out about avoiding fame and celebrity status.
She explained: “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.”
