Maria Francisca Perello

Maria Francisca Perello was born on July 7, 1988, in Palma de Majorca, Spain. Her father’s name is Bernat Perelló and her mother’s name is María Pascual. Her nickname is Xisca and she prefers being called that. She had known Nadal from her high school days, but the two only started dating in late 2005. They were introduced to each other by a friend. She studied Business Administration and English in London, UK. Although she initially struggled, she learned to speak English to survive in London. Since her relationship began, she has barely revealed details of their relationship and prefers staying away from social media. Xisca even admitted that she barely talks about Nadal with her own family as she is a very private person. The couple has been in a relationship for more than 12 years and they have not revealed any plans of getting married anytime soon.

Maria Francisca Perello was ambitious from a very young age. With both parents having jobs, she grew up fiercely independent. After graduating from her high school, she went on to study Business Management in London, UK. On completing her studies with distinction, she went on to work for ‘MAPFRE’, a sporting company which also endorsed her boyfriend Rafael Nadal. However, this career choice ended on a sour note for Perello. She has always known that her relationship with Nadal was going to bring more attention to her than anyone else. But she wasn’t prepared for the workplace hostility she faced at ‘MAPFRE’. She quit the job amidst rumors that many of her colleagues were of the opinion that she only got the job because of dating Nadal. She moved back to Majorca and started working for an insurance company.

By this time, the world was aware of her relationship with Nadal after paparazzi pictures of them together started showing up. Nadal refused to talk about her at press conferences because even then she didn’t want to be a part of the celebrity world. Around this time she started living with Rafa’s sister, María Isabel Nadal, and the two became very close. In 2008, the tennis star started the ‘Rafael Nadal Foundation’ to give socially-disadvantaged youths all over the world a chance of having a life. Maria decided to join the foundation and later became the ‘Projects Director’, a position she holds to date. Her positive and good hearted nature combined with her business acumen has garnered the respect of all involved with the foundation.

Simultaneously, as much as she wants to avoid it, dating one of the most successful tennis stars of all time, will come with its share of fame and media attention. Maria Francisca Perello’s conscious decision to stay away from social media and not to speak about Nadal to reporters has made her life a little easier though. However, the couple is still followed by paparazzi who often click pictures of the Spanish beauty.

In spite of all the attention, Maria rarely attends Nadal’s matches. In an interview, she revealed that the decision was mutual and stated that Nadal needs space while competing and she would get tired if she had to just hang around waiting on his needs. She also mentioned that this was the key to their successful relationship, “If I followed him everywhere, I think there's a risk we might stop getting along.” This is also one of the key reasons why she has become so popular amongst Rafa’s fans.