From the Coello brothers to the Deus twins and the Jensens: padel is a family affair

Sport is often a family matter, and padel is no exception. At the BNL Italy Major, you can feel it just walking the grounds of the Foro Italico — spotting world No.1 Arturo cheering Rodrigo on from Court 7. “Vamos hermano!” he shouts between selfies and autographs, rooting for the recent FIP Bronze winner in Houten playing his second Major.

The Melendez brothers competed together here in 2023. This year, Alvaro — paired with Facundo Rodriguez — aims high, playing Edu Alonso and Jairo Bautista in round two, after beating Cepero-Torre. Pedro exited in the first qualifying round.

Padel is full of sibling stories: Claudia (semifinalist last year) and Enzo Jensen (qualified three times in a row), Pedro and Sofia Araujo (also partners in the Portuguese national team), or Enrique and Carmen Goenaga, each shining in their own categories.

Others include the now-retired Sanchez Alayeto twins, or the Diaz Sangiorgio family with legends Matias “The Warrior” and Gonzalo, and of course the Galans — Ale and Alba — as well as the Rico brothers.

From bedroom dreams to the professional court: many have made it. And tonight, Arturo Coello faces… more brothers: Miguel and Nuno Deus, proud members of Portugal’s national team and Doha 2024 World bronze medalists. Friendly and approachable off court, they’re fierce competitors on it. “We argue like any family, but we’re a team — and that gives us more strength than problems,” says Miguel.

A similar story can be told about the Melendez brothers, who played together at the Rome Major in 2023. This year, Alvaro is highly motivated for the tournament: this evening, he will team up with Facundo Rodriguez to face Edu Alonso and Jairo Bautista in the second round, after defeating Cepero-Torre in their debut. Pedro, instead, was eliminated in the first qualifying round alongside Victor Mena. Padel is clearly a sport full of "siblings on court", as proven by Claudia (a semifinalist here last year, now playing against Perez-Borrero in the second round) and Enzo Jensen (winner of the FIP Silver in Caltanissetta and qualified in Rome for the third time in a row after Asuncion and Buenos Aires), or Pedro (eliminated in qualifying) and Sofia Araujo (set to play tomorrow in the third round against Marina Guinart and Victoria Iglesias), teammates in the Portuguese national team. Or Enrique and Carmen Goenaga: he is playing with Luis Hernandez, while she is one of the top seeds (10) with Bea Caldera.

We can’t forget others like the retired “Gemelas Atomikas” Sanchez Alayeto twins, Mapi and Majo, or the Diaz Sangiorgio family, who fielded brothers Matias – known as “Mati the Warrior” and a true icon of the sport – and Gonzalo. The same goes for the Galans, with Ale – one of the Premier Padel circuit’s dominant forces and currently No. 2 in the FIP ranking – and Alba, as well as Jose and Javi Rico, the latter being a European Champion in Cagliari.

Many brother and sister duos dreamed of making it on the international circuit, which continues to grow and evolve each year. From childhood bedrooms to professional courts — they’ve made it.