Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Zach Heinzerling, Netflix’s ‘Rafa’ is a documentary series carefully chronicling the tale of tennis legend Rafael Nadal Parera through the lens of his mental as well as physical sacrifices. It incorporates not only archival footage but also exclusive interviews with those close to him to really underscore who he is and why he has long kept his private life well away from the limelight. Therefore, of course, there is significant focus on his love life and the fact that he has been head over heels for just one woman since he was a teenager – his now wife, María “Mery” Perelló Pascual.
Maria “Mery” Pascual Has Long Been Rafael Nadal’s Biggest Motivator
Maria “Mery” Francisca Perelló Pascual has known Rafael “Rafa” Nadal for as far back as she can remember, since they hail from the same small town of Manacor on the island of Mallorca, Spain. According to her accounts in the aforementioned series, their parents were close friends before they were even born, roughly 2 years apart in the 1980s, so she has always been aware of him. In fact, her first clear memory of him is her attending his Holy Communion when she was merely 6 or 7 years old, but it wasn’t until a decade later that they really began getting to know one another.
Mery and Rafa met properly when they were teenagers through the latter’s younger sister, María Isabel Nadal, only for the then-rising tennis athlete to quickly realize she was “the one” for him. They thus started dating in the summer of 2005, when she was 17 and he was 19, but they were cautious not to make their connection public until they were really stable a couple of years later in 2007. “I was in love with her,” he admitted in the production before indicating she understood him better than anyone. He added, “She gave me the inner strength to maintain stability when I really needed it.”
The fact that Mery and Rafa were able to navigate his hectic schedule for years, having built a foundation of affection, devotion, open communication, trust, and respect, was also a significant plus. They even aligned on his ambitions, their core beliefs as well as values, and their familial timeline, which made things a lot easier for them as time passed. Thus, when he got down on one knee in early 2019, there was no doubt in either of their minds that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Their engagement came a year after she asked him if they could move in together, after more than 11 years of dating, since he still lived with his parents at his family home.
Maria “Mery” Pascual is Rafa Nadel’s Equal Partner in a lot of Ways
It was in October 2019 when Mery and Rafa happily tied the knot in a beautiful, cozy ceremony at La Fortaleza Castle in Port de Pollença in Majorca, Spain, surrounded by all their loved ones. They subsequently settled close to their parents in their hometown of Manacor, and have since joyously welcomed two adorable sons into this world: Rafael Nadal Jr. on October 8, 2022, and Miquel Nadal on August 7, 2025. The tennis icon had already made it publicly known that he wanted to have a big family one day, not so there would be someone to carry on his legacy, but so that he could pour his love and affection into a new being, and his wife obviously felt the same.
“I have the intention of forming a family,” Rafa once candidly told Hello! Magazine. “I love children, and I would like my children to do what they like.” Being a father to two young boys and raising them alongside the love of his life is hence his greatest pleasure. He even expressed just how much he adores Mery and what she means to him during a statement after he announced his retirement in late 2024. He said, in part, “Thank you for everything you have done. You have been my perfect travel companion during all these years of my career. Coming home every day and seeing how my son is growing has been a force that has kept me alive and given me the energy necessary to continue.”
Coming to Mery’s individual standing – away from her role as a wife, a mother, as well as a supporter, which she is admittedly proud of – she is a business-minded woman and a philanthropist. From what we can tell, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Esade Business School in Barcelona in the 2010s, following which she joined the Rafael Nadal Foundation. The Foundation was established in 2010 by the athlete and his mother with the aim of helping disadvantaged youngsters land better opportunities in life through sports. However, today, Mery serves as the Director of the non-profit institution and helms its various projects, which even earned them the Laureus Sport For Good Award in 2024. In other words, the travel enthusiast is her husband’s equal partner in many ways.
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