'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A couple of weeks after lifting his 14th Roland Garros trophy, Rafael Nadal has more reasons to celebrate - this time in his personal life. Nadal and his wife Maria 'Xisca' Perello are expecting their first child in a few months, and fans of the Spanish legend have been flooding social media with their reactions to the news.
A few news outlets reported on Wednesday that the couple will soon be parents, with Spanish magazine ¡HOLA! having first mentioned the development. Later, a video emerged from the Spaniard's practice session where he seemingly confirmed the news himself.
Tennis fans, who recently celebrated Nadal's 14th French Open and 22nd Grand Slam title, were overjoyed after hearing the great news.
"What if Rafa has twins... the Federer-Nadal rivalry continues!" one fan jokingly wrote on Twitter.
"What a year Rafael Nadal is having!! Makes sense now why he keeps hinting at retirement!!! Congrats Rafael Nadal," said another tweet.
"Rafa Nadal and Mery Perelló are expecting their first child. Congratulations to the couple! I imagine the little one making his debut at Roland Garros and his father still winning finals (translated)," another fan expressed.
Rafael Nadal has scaled all the peaks of tennis and achieved accomplishments that no other player in history has. However, one fan suggested that becoming a father will be the biggest moment of his life.
Nadal and Xisca dated for 14 years before tying the knot in October 2019.
The Mallorcan is having a year to remember, having won the Australian Open and French Open already. However, a chronic foot injury has continued to trouble Nadal, casting uncertainty around his future.
He has already hinted that he doesn't have many years of tennis left in him. Some of his fans further speculated about his retirement in the wake of the recent personal news.
Nadal himself has on numerous occasions referenced having children after his playing career is over, which lends further credence to rumors of retirement.
"Now that he kinda confirmed (even if not exactly cause he wanted to), can we not go “noo this means he will retire." He gave us quite a lot of years of his life and several percentage points of his body’s integrity, please, just be happy for him," a fan tweeted.
Rafael Nadal trains on grass in Mallorca with Wimbledon in sight
On Wednesday Rafael Nadal supposedly had another day of training on grass in his hometown of Mallorca. In the video where fans congratulated him on the news of him becoming a father, Nadal could be seen standing outside a grasscourt.
The 36-year-old first trained on grass on Monday, just days after he underwent a new form of treatment for the injury to his left foot. He has still not confirmed his participation at Wimbledon though, as it seems he wants to wait and see how his body responds to training.
If the Spaniard does make it to Wimbledon, it will be his first appearance there in three years; he missed out last year (2020 edition was cancelled) due to similar injury troubles. Nadal's last match at SW19 was a semifinal loss in 2019 to his great rival Roger Federer.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
