Rafa Nadal gets over Australian Open final woes by proposing to childhood sweetheart Mery Perello
RAFAEL NADAL put his Australian Open demolition behind him by proposing to childhood sweetheart Mery Perello.
The 17-time grand slam winner got down on one knee to propose to his long-term partner, according to
Nadal, 32, lost in straight sets to Serbian sensation Novak Djokovic in Melbourne on Sunday.
After a series of knee injuries in recent years, the Spaniard has come right back to form and will look to win his first Wimbledon title since 2010 in the summer, after defending his French Open crown on clay.
Mery, or Xisca, has often shunned the limelight and left the spotlight on her partner, but she has been a loyal supporter in the stands at the grand slam tournaments.
The pair plan to get married during the autumn in Mallorca and it has emerged that Rafa proposed during a loved-up trip to Rome last May.
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Perello has had a career of her own despite being with Nadal, and has worked in the insurance injury while also serving as a project director for the Rafa Nadal Foundation charity.
The couple do not have any children but with a wedding now on the table, a family will surely not be far off.
In an interview with the Telegraph in 2011, Perello explained why she does not attend many of his matches.
She said: "He needs his space when he is competing and just the idea of me hanging around and waiting on his needs all day tires me out.
"It would asphyxiate me.
"And then he would have to be worrying about me.
"If I followed him everywhere I think there's a risk we might stop getting along."