Padel news: Agustín Tapia, Arturo Coello and the top players on the Premier Padel world tour
You’ve probably heard about all the big-name stars playing padel – from Spider-Man actor Tom Holland and football icon Lionel Messi to tennis legend Rafael Nadal – but the sport is far more than just celebrity endorsements.
Indeed, padel is growing exponentially in popularity each year and, just like any other sport, has some top performers whose names you simply need to know.
With the Premier Padel world tour in full swing, Sports News Blitz writer Vanely Barumire outlines five professional players to keep an eye out for.
Agustín Tapia
Born in Catamarca, Argentina, Tapia is currently ranked as the world’s number one padel player alongside his Spanish partner, Arturo Coello.
The 26-year-old has a 91.7% success rate, having only lost 16 matches out of the 193 games he has played.
He is also on a 47-match win streak and boasts 26 titles.
Nicknamed ‘The Mozart of Catamarca’, Tapia is known for an aggressive playing style that is both versatile and creative.
At the age of 23, the Argentine helped dethrone the pair of Alejandro Galán and Juan Lebrón, who had dominated the world rankings for three seasons.
Now, Tapia has started his own takeover of the game with the aid of Coello.
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Arturo Coello
Having dominated the game since he was only 21 years old, Ceollo became the youngest player in history to reach the top shot.
Ceollo was born in Mojados, a province of Valladolid in Spain.
With Padel so popular in the country, he grew up playing both tennis and padel but chose the lesser-known sport for its ‘potential’, according to Vogue.
Notably, between July and December last season, Ceollo went undefeated alongside fellow world number one Tapia.
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Alejandro Galán
Another Spanish giant of the sport, Galán, is currently ranked as the third-best player in the world.
Renowned for his power and precision on the court, Galán has 15 titles to his name with an 84.3% win rate.
The 29-year-old debuted on the World Padel Tour in 2016 after joining forces with Juan Cruz Belluati.
He is sponsored by Red Bull, with the global brand proudly featuring his story and career on their website.
Federico Chingotto
Chingotto is an Argentinian player and the other half of Galán.
Despite having just the nine titles under his belt, the 27-year-old ranks highly along with his illustrious partner.
And while he is undoubtedly a world-class player, Chingotto is also known as the prankster on the tour.
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Franco Stupaczuk
Yet another Argentine talent, Stupaczuk, sits fifth in the world rankings.
The Chaco native started playing padel at the age of eight and won his first tournament soon after.
Stupaczuk eventually teamed up with Martín Di Nenno in 2023 – the duo nicknamed ‘The Superpibes’ – and won seven titles together, including two Masters, four Opens, and the Doha Premier Padel Major.
The 28-year-old is currently paired with Juan Lebron and has his eyes set on becoming the world number one.
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