Well honed, dark, handsome and supremely talented, tennis star Rafael Nadal has unsurprisingly amassed an adoring worldwide army of female fans.
Their passion for the Spanish player – a favourite to claim this year’s Wimbledon crown – has been fuelled by PR people who have carefully nurtured his dashing image as a footloose and single young man.
Yet, as these pictures clearly illustrate, the 22-year-old star already has a very significant other in his life – a stunning dark-haired girl he once went to school with.
Tennis star Rafael Nadal enjoys a short break in his hometown
together with his girlfriend Xisca in Spain
Twenty-year-old Maria Francisca Perello, who comes from Nadal’s home town on the holiday island of Majorca, has been dating the player for three years. But the down-to-earth beauty, whose nickname is Xisca, keeps away from the spotlight and rarely watches her boyfriend play, partly because she does not wish to distract him.
Nadal’s uncle and trainer, Toni Nadal, revealed: ‘I guess a lot of girls will be upset to know the truth. 'My nephew always maintained he was single. It was a well-kept secret but actually his girlfriend is waiting for him in Majorca.’ Described by friends as ‘an intelligent girl from a good local family’, Xisca is about to take her important exams in business at university in Majorca’s capital, Palma.
Rafael and his girlfriend of three years Xisca on a day out
Her cousin Maria Perello Limones said: ‘She is a straightforward, no-nonsense girl not interested in glamour and fame. 'You won’t see her rolling out of a nightclub or laden down with designer bags after a shopping spree.’
That is just as well, because despite his wealth and fame, Nadal is a simple home-town boy who likes relaxing on the beach, fishing and sharing long meals with his family.
He still lives with his parents and sister in their luxury apartment.
He still lives with his parents and sister in their luxury apartment.
Rafael Nadal's girlfriend Xisca
Friend Pedro Hernadez explains: ‘Raf and Xisca are both very shy and ordinary people who like to live simply. 'They are not at all interested in a celebrity lifestyle. They get together when the tournaments are over. That’s how Raf winds down.’ When back home in Manacor, an unfashionable industrial town in the heart of Majorca, Nadal and Xisca while away the days at the beach in nearby Porto Cristo.
They also spend a lot of time with each other’s families and Xisca is very close to Nadal’s grandmother. The player is the town’s most famous son, but Xisca has kept such a low profile many locals are unaware of the relationship. Earlier this year it was suggested that Nadal was infatuated with Danish tennis sensation Caroline Wozniacki, 18. But the relationship has been emphatically denied by Nadal. Indeed, his grandfather, also Rafael, confirmed: ‘I saw him and Xisca just before he flew to London and they looked great together.’
They also spend a lot of time with each other’s families and Xisca is very close to Nadal’s grandmother. The player is the town’s most famous son, but Xisca has kept such a low profile many locals are unaware of the relationship. Earlier this year it was suggested that Nadal was infatuated with Danish tennis sensation Caroline Wozniacki, 18. But the relationship has been emphatically denied by Nadal. Indeed, his grandfather, also Rafael, confirmed: ‘I saw him and Xisca just before he flew to London and they looked great together.’
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