Rafael Nadal and Xisca Perelló. | Reuters

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Rafael Nadal and María Francisca Perelló are to marry. The announcement was made in an exclusive for Hola magazine. The wedding will take place in Majorca this autumn and will undoubtedly be the island's wedding of the year.

The couple have been together for fourteen years. It is understood that the proposal was made in Rome in May last year but has been a closely guarded secret ever since.

Xisca Perelló, known as Mery to her close friends, often accompanies Nadal when he is playing and is to be seen with the Nadal family at tournaments. She works for the Rafa Nadal Foundation in Manacor and is a business studies graduate from the University of the Balearic Islands.