Tennis Star Rafael Nadal Is Engaged to Mery "Xisca" Perelló

Love may mean nothing to a tennis pro, but Rafael Nadal seems to be swimming in the stuff off-court! News just broke of Nadal's engagement to longtime girlfriend Mery "Xisca" Perelló.

According to ¡HOLA!, the proposal went down this past May during a vacation in Rome. The private pair, who have been together for 14 years, decided to keep their new engagement status quiet following the bent-knee exchange. They did, however, give details on their wedding date; the news outlet reports that the lovebirds plan to wed this fall in Mallorca.

The news of the engagement is proof that the Spanish athlete's fate is turning around after a less than pleasant last year, which included ankle surgery that ended his season prematurely. After losing the 2019 Australian Open to Novak Djokovic on January 27, Nadal opened up regarding the challenging experiences he had formerly faced. "I have been going through tough times over the past year," he explained, per Express. "I only played in nine events and had to retire from two, and I was not able to play professional match since the U.S. Open." Nothing like a wedding to turn that mentality around!

Perelló, who works in the insurance industry, attended the recent Melbourne tennis tournament in support of her future spouse—but don't expect to see her attached to Nadal's hip at every single match. In fact, the 30-year-old revealed to The Telegraph in 2011 that she avoids attending all his sporting events for one very valid reason: to give him room to breathe. "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," she said. "It would asphyxiate me. And then he would have to be worrying about me. If I followed him everywhere I think there's a risk we might stop getting along."

The tactic seems to have proven quite effective, given the duo's lengthy relationship. The two-time Wimbledon champ also has previously broached the subject of children with Hello! "Obviously, I have the intention of forming a family," Nadal explained. "I love children and I would like my children to do what they like."

Major congratulations to Rafael Nadal and his soon-to-be wife!