Tennis News: Rafael Nadal is all set to tie the knot

What's the story?

Fresh from the brilliant stint at the recently-concluded Australian Open, the runner-up of the tournament, Rafael Nadal seized the opportunity to announce his engagement to Maria Francisca Perello, his girlfriend of 14 years. The couple broke the news to the Hello! magazine about their engagement and indicated that wedding bells will start ringing sometime later in the year, when they will tie the knot in the island of Mallorca, the Spaniard's hometown.

In case you didn't know...

World Number 2 Rafael Nadal, with this joyous news, becomes the last of the Big Four to enter this new phase of family life. His contemporaries like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have turned out to be quite the family man and Nadal had been having similar desires in his mind for quite some time now.

The heart of the matter

The 32-year-old Nadal has always managed to keep his personal life under wraps but the constant presence of Maria Perello or Xisca, as she likes to call herself, in his life has been a known fact to all his fans.

Although the 30-year-old Xisca does not like to attend too many of his matches because she fears her presence would perturb the 17-time Grand Slam champion's focus, she was right there cheering him on in the finale clash against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. Xisca has stayed behind Nadal like a pillar of support and the couple inspires with their tale of long-brewed romance and understanding that has kept the duo tethered together so wonderfully for all these years.

The engagement with Xisca actually took place 8 months ago whilst Nadal and his soon-to-be better half was on a holiday in Rome where the suave World No. 2 popped the question to her. The 30-year-old Xisca, who is an insurance worker and has also served as the project director for the Rafa Nadal Foundation, did not dally with her response and agreed to the tennis superstar's romantic proposal. It was only after the conclusion of the Australian Open 2019 did the couple decide to make public this wonderful news.

What's next?

Come autumn this year, the duo will get ready for the marriage that is to be kept a private affair in Nadal's hometown island, Mallorca. The Spaniard has expressed his desire to be a 'family man' someday soon and would love to have children of his own. Once he does enter that stage of life, he'll be welcomed into the 'Father's Club' which already has a proud Federer, Djokovic and Murray impatiently waiting for the currently 17-time Grand Slam champion to come join them.