Welcome to the world! Rafa Nadal and Mery become parents

TENNIS legend Rafael Nadal and his wife Mery Perelló are now officially known as papá and mamá – their little boy was born on Saturday afternoon, and he and his mum are said to be doing well.

'Mini-Nadal' shares his father's first name, and the 22-Grand-Slam winner was by Mery's side as she gave birth, according to reports.

Their local daily newspaper Diario de Mallorca, and the sports station Radio Marca, have both said Mery, 34, checked into a private clinic in Palma on Friday.

Fans have been concerned for a while, since leaked reports on August 24 claimed Mery had been admitted to a private hospital with 'complications' at 31 weeks, and undisclosed sources were quoted as saying the couple had 'braced themselves' for the likelihood of their first child being born prematurely.

But Nadal, when he eventually spoke out officially on the subject – which he and Mery had tried to keep quiet – insisted at the time his wife was 'fine'.

In fact, the couple were so confident there was no immediate need to worry that Rafa did not make plans to return from across the pond, where he was competing in the US Open.

He had, though, arranged to be at home when his son's birth was imminent, and had been training at his eponymous academy in the family town of Manacor.

Rafa had cleared his competition diary weeks in advance, and was using his time at home to get himself in form for the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, due to start on October 31.

The dad-to-be, 36, was only at the recent Laver Cup for one day – merely for his long-standing friend and colleague Roger Federer's send-off as the Swiss legend retired from the sport.

“I've got much more important things to attend to than tennis,” Rafa announced shortly after failing to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open when he was defeated by home player Frances Tiafoe.

“Personal life always comes before professional life,” he said.

Four weeks' ‘complete rest’

Mery, after her hospital admission in late August, had been ordered to rest completely for four weeks – until week 35 of her pregnancy – to give the baby time to gain weight before he was born.

She was under close medical supervision throughout that time.

“Mery has had to rest up, but nothing special,” Rafa's uncle and former coach Toni Nadal – who works at his nephew's tennis academy – confirmed to reporters a week or so ago.

Rafa was 'feeling okay', and 'keeping his spirits up', Toni revealed.

“He knows it won't be long now, and he's looking forward to it and hoping everything goes well.”

Subsequent reports via Diario de Mallorca and Radio Marca appear to reassure fans that everything did, in fact, go well – and that the newest member of the Nadal-Perelló family has already been named.

Little Rafael's birth weight has not been revealed, but if his mum was at 31 weeks when she checked into the Palma clinic on or just before August 24, it means his arrival has come at 37-and-a-half weeks, which is considered full-term and not, as his parents were said to be preparing for, prematurely.

Rafa Nadal's sister Maribel introduced him to her best friend at school, María Francisca – known to friends and family as Mery - when the girls were 14 and Rafa was 17, and they started going out with each other two years later.

They have been together ever since, even though it would take until May 2018 for Rafa to propose to Mery on holiday in Rome, and they did not walk down the aisle until October 2019.

By that time, they had been an item for 17 years – and are probably the most unstarry celebrity couple in Spain.

Neither has ever had any other serious relationship, nor lived outside their native island of Mallorca – or even outside Manacor, except for when Mery was at university in Palma and then worked in offices there for a few years.

The Nadal family runs the tennis ace's charitable foundation – Mery is project manager and her mother-in-law Ana is director – and the tennis academy, where Maribel is marketing manager.