While Rafael Nadal has made history throughout his tennis career, he’s about to enter his most exciting chapter yet: fatherhood.
The Spanish athlete, whose amassed 22 Grand Slam titles over the years, confirmed in a June 17 press conference that he and wife Mery “Xisca” Perelló are expecting their first child together. “If all goes well,” he said, per People, “I’m going to be a father.”
Though the 36-year-old, who tied the knot with Perelló in Oct. 2019, tends to keep his off-court life private, he did tell reporters, “I don’t know what will change in my life because I don’t have experience [with fatherhood], but I don’t think it will change my professional life.”
In fact, Nadal confirmed in the same Mallorca press conference that he plans to play in the upcoming 2022 Wimbledon Championships later this month. It will be his first appearance at the tournament in three years.
While Nadal recently won 2022 French Open, he’s been battling pain in his foot, known as Mueller-Weiss syndrome.
However, in the press conference, Nadal noted that he’s experienced “noticeable” changes since recently receiving treatment in Barcelona, telling reporters, “my joint pain has decreased,” per ESPN.
“My intention is to play Wimbledon,” he added, “to travel to London on Monday.” Though only time will tell how his foot will feel ahead of the tournament, as he admitted, “it is too early to give a definitive answer.”
“My foot situation must be evaluated day after day,” he shared, “so at this moment I don’t have this certainty of being able to play. I just know that I want to play the tournament, but we must also be careful.”
The first round of Wimbledon 2022 is set to begin on June 27.
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