The athlete is about to leave behind the year of his retirement from professional tennis.
Rafa Nadal is enjoying the holidays in the best possible way. The athlete is in his native Mallorca accompanied by his loved ones , with whom he is making the most of every minute of his time after his recent retirement. From the Balearic island, the man who has been one of the most successful and beloved tennis players in our country has shared a Christmas photo in his own style. No trees or Santa Claus hats: Rafa has preferred to pose in the middle of nature surrounded by those he loves most.
© Rafael Nadal
“Time to be with the family,” said the tennis player, who shared with his followers the images of a beautiful and sunny day with the family. In the photos they appear posing in front of a cliff or even braving the low temperatures with a refreshing swim in the sea. Next to Rafa, we can see his father, Sebastián Nadal, his mother, Ana María Perera and his sister Maribel , but also uncles and cousins, such as Marta Nadal. His wife, Mery Perelló, with whom he has been in love for almost two decades, and his two-year-old son Rafa , could not be missing either.
© Rafael Nadal
The little one, who came into the world in October 2022, appears in almost all the photos he has shared, dressed in sneakers, a sweatshirt and matching pants. Although Rafa is usually very discreet about everything related to his family life, a few months ago he revealed that he is “a person who loves children, all his life.” “All my life I have been clear that I want to be a father,” he confessed in El Objetivo. A dream that he has fulfilled with the arrival of his child, who, he assures, prefers not to follow in his footsteps: “It hurts me to say that, for everything that this sport has given me… if he wants to play tennis, I would support him one hundred percent, I would not veto him at all, but if he plays another sport, all the better,” he concluded.
© Rafael Nadal
This has been a year that Rafa Nadal will never forget: the year of his retirement. In 2024, he will say goodbye to professional tennis. He announced it in October, with a moving speech in which he made it very clear that “family is everything” to him. He recalled the “sacrifices” his mother made so that “we would always have everything”, and stated that his father has been for him “a source of inspiration in every sense”. He defined his wife, Mery, as the “perfect travel companion”, and also wanted to highlight his “incredible relationship” with his sister Maribel. He did not forget his uncle Toni, who was his coach and “the reason why I started playing tennis”.
A month later, Rafa played his last match in the Davis Cup, the tournament he chose to say goodbye to the courts. There, at the Martín Carpena in Malaga, the 14-time Roland Garros and 22-time Grand Slam champion experienced a very emotional day surrounded by his family. The same ones with whom he now enjoys the holidays in his homeland.
