With 8-month pregnant wife Maria at home, Rafael Nadal says he has no regrets about missing possible reunion with Roger Federer at Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal has not made an appearance at Wimbledon this year, even with the possibility of a potential reunion with Roger Federer on the horizon. Surprisingly, however, the Spaniard has no regrets about not making a visit to London.

Nadal, unlike Federer, is back home in Mallorca with his wife Maria Francisco Perello, who is now eight months pregnant with their second child. Their firstborn, Rafael Nadal Jr., was born in October 2022, and was also in attendance at the Spaniard's farewell tournaments last year, including the Paris Olympics and the Davis Cup.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion and his wife were last seen in public at the French Open earlier this year, when Roland Garros honored its 14-time champion with an emotional tribute ceremony.

Speaking to the Times in the middle of Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal explained why he could not do the same for SW19. While he wished he could come back to the Grass Major in the future, the Mallorcan insisted that he was simply in a "different phase of life" at the moment.

At the same time, he also maintained that he had no regrets about not coming to London like Federer and his wife Mirka, who turned up at the Royal Box to watch Novak Djokovic in his quarterfinal clash.

“Honestly no, I’ve had a change of life. I’m enjoying the tournament from a different perspective. I hope in the future I can go back to Wimbledon. Now I’m in a different phase of life," he said.

In the interview, Nadal also opened up about how his life has been since retirement, revealing happily that he has recovered physically very well.

“It’s my first summer in Mallorca ever. After retiring I was in bad shape for a month, I practically couldn’t walk. I’m better than I could have imagined," he said.

Rafael Nadal's final appearance at Wimbledon as a player came in 2022, when he reached the semifinals against Nick Kyrgios, but had to pull out because of an abdomen injury.

Rafael Nadal's record at Wimbledon

The Championships - Wimbledon 2010: Day Thirteen - Source: Getty

In his playing days, Rafael Nadal was a force to be reckoned with at Wimbledon despite the popular idea that he was a clay specialist first. The former World No. 1 won the tournament twice, in 2008 and 2010. The 2008 final, where he beat Roger Federer, is regarded as one of the greatest tennis matches in the history of the tournament and men's tennis.

Nadal also earned three more runner-up trophies at SW19 over the course of his career, and finished with a 58-12 win/loss record at the Grass Major. In the 2025 edition, another Spaniard is in contention to win the tournament, with Carlos Alcaraz set to take on Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final, hoping to win his third straight title at Wimbledon.