Fiona Govan
JUST days after he swept into the record books for winning the French Open for the 14th time, Rafael Nadal has another reason to be smiling.
The 36-year-old tennis ace, who with 22 Gran Slam titles has won the most in history, is going to become a father for the first time.
He and his wife María Francisca Perelló are expecting their first child, according to a report in Spanish magazine Hola.
Rumours abounded after Xisca as she is known, appeared in the stands at the Roland Garros tournament earlier this month sporting a notable change in style.
She was wearing loose clothing that some commented could be disguising a growing pregnancy bump.
Now the gossip magazine has published photographs that leave little doubt after the pair were spotted relaxing on a yacht off Mallorca where they have their home.
Photographs showed Xisca in a swimsuit showing what they described as a ‘maternity silhouette’.
The couple wed in 2019 after a romance dating back almost 15 years. They started dating in 2005 when they were both teenagers after meeting several years before.
He had previously hinted that he wouldn’t be ready to start a family until he retired from tennis.
In an interview with sports newspaper Marca in 2018 he said: “Having a family? I don’t know, things are not easy to be predict. At this age, I thought that I would have already been a former player and that I would have started a family.”
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