Sofia Araújo: Official Profile of the Padel Player

Sofia Araújo is a professional padel player who currently holds the ninth position in the Premier Padel ranking after making a name for herself among the best in the world over the last few seasons.

She is the foremost representative of Portuguese padel in the elite alongside Ana Catarina Nogueira, and she started in the sport of 20×10 after setting aside tennis. In 2024, she competes alongside Virginia Riera aiming to remain among the most prominent pairs on the circuit.

Sofia Araújo’s Data

Sofia Araújo is a backhand player known for her ability to generate winning shots and close spaces near the net. She bases her play on power and plays the role of a finisher, hence her main weapon for scoring points on the 20×10 is the smash.

Last season, she shared the court with three other leading players in the women’s circuit: Delfi Brea, Martita Ortega, and Alejandra Salazar. She managed to secure her second World Padel Tour title and established herself as one of the best players in the world by finishing the season among the top four pairs in the ranking.

At Zona de Pádel, we review Sofia Araújo’s career, one of the most passionate players on the circuit who promises to be a fierce competitor for many years to come due to the character and personality she exudes as soon as the ball starts rolling.

Biography of Sofia Araújo

From a young age, Sofia Araújo stepped onto the tennis courts, competing professionally on the WTA circuit among the top thousand players in the world. However, she switched the racquet for the paddle due to health issues and the loneliness she had to face at each tournament she traveled to, as she has acknowledged in several interviews.

Her foray into the world of padel was accidental and originated in the Basque Country. One of her uncles lives there, and as a fan of the 20×10 sport, he suggested she participate in a tournament held in Bilbao. Far from attending the tournament with a professional tennis partner, she played alongside her mother and from there both her family and she herself got hooked on padel.

After the success of the trial, she began training a couple of days a week and her rapid adaptation allowed her to start competing with assurances in Portugal and take her first steps in the World Padel Tour around the year 2016.

It was in 2018 when she began to establish herself in the final rounds of the women’s circuit competing with Virginia Riera after standing out in national tournaments, becoming the player to watch in the Portuguese scene alongside Ana Catarina Nogueira.

In 2020 her breakout as a player came, as together with Riera she reached five quarterfinals and a semifinal of the World Padel Tour, which allowed her to compete in her first Master Final. Her flair on the backhand and aggression in the offensive phase led her to be named ‘Revelation Player’ of the season.

During the following season, she teamed up with Eli Amatriain and later with Ana Catarina Nogueira. It was with the latter with whom she lifted her first World Padel Tour title, the Albacete Challenger, defeating Carmen Goenaga and Bea Caldera in the final.

Despite the title, 2021 was a transition year for Sofia Araújo, who did not fully shine. However, in 2022 she again stood out alongside Lorena Rufo, Marta Talaván, and Mapi Sánchez Alayeto, with whom she even reached the final of the Danish Padel Open after a fortuitous union. Her performance earned her a call from Lucía Sainz, former world number one, with whom she ended the season showing good form.

The 2023 season she began forming a new project with the talented Delfi Brea, a partnership that was short but fruitful. After four initial tournaments in which they reached two semifinals, Brea chose to change scenery to play with Bea González, which became an opportunity for Araújo to play with Martita Ortega.

With the ‘Doctor’ she came to form the third pair in the rankings and added her second title to date by lifting the Alicante Open 500 after defeating Tamara Icardo and Virginia Riera in the final. They competed at a very solid level as in seven tournaments they never fell before the quarterfinals, but the call from Gemma Triay to Martita changed the course of a partnership that was beginning to bear fruit.

After the breakup, the Lisbon native received a call from one of the best players in history, Alejandra Salazar, who returned to the courts after overcoming a complicated elbow injury. Despite competing at a high level, the results did not match the hype, as they only managed to reach one final (Malmö Padel Open) in the last months of competition.

Finally, for this course Sofia Araújo trusted to start a second chapter alongside Virginia Riera, with whom she forms a solid pair on the 20×10 representing a great danger in the offensive facet.

Best points of Sofia Araújo

The backhand player is lethal near the net and has one of the most aggressive smashes of the entire female circuit. She displays her best game when she manages to impart a lot of rhythm to the ball and does not hesitate when the opportunity to define arises, therefore she is one of the players who scores the most winners throughout the season.

Despite deploying a power game, Sofia Araújo is also capable of dominating the game through the depth of her trays and the technique of her volleys. Moreover, over the years she has significantly improved her defensive aspect, making her a much more complete player.

Bullpadel, official sponsor of Sofia Araújo

The Portuguese player was linked to Drop Shot and Adidas Padel in her first two seasons competing on the professional World Padel Tour circuit until in 2020 she signed with Bullpadel.

Since then, she has always entered the courts representing the Vertex line of racquets, known for its reactivity and control to offer the best performance on the 20×10. This season, she shares the model with Delfi Brea:

The new Vertex 04 Woman is a racquet designed for attacking players who seek to define the point when the ball comes from above. It features a diamond shape and the sweet spot and balance are located in the upper-middle part of the racquet, greatly favoring smashes.

It comes with a medium-soft touch thanks to its Multi-Eva rubber core, which provides very good sensations both on slow balls and those coming at higher speed. It is made of fiberglass and a carbon reinforcement in the tubular for greater resistance. Additionally, its weight ranges between 350 and 360 grams and it includes Vibradrive technology to reduce vibrations when striking, adding a plus of comfort to the game.

Palmarés of Sofia Araújo

The Portuguese player has achieved notable successes in her country by becoming champion of Portugal in several editions and also knows what it is to lift World Padel Tour titles despite the extreme competitiveness prevailing in the female circuit.

This season, her goal is to make her debut in Premier Padel and Ultimate Padel Tour, as well as to perform well with her national team in the World Padel Championship that will be held from October 28 to November 2.

Date	Tournament	Partner / Team
2023	WPT Alicante Open 500	Marta Ortega
2021	WPT Albacete Challenger	Ana Catarina Nogueira