At 21 years, 2 months, and 21 days old, Arturo Coello became the youngest player in history to reach world number one on the World Padel Tour. Let that sink in for a moment. While most athletes at that age are still finding their feet at professional level, Coello had already climbed to the summit of the fastest growing sport in the world. His journey from a small town in Valladolid, Spain, to the top of the global rankings is one of the most compelling stories in modern sport. This article looks at who he is, how he got there, and what makes him unlike anyone else in the game right now.
From Mojados to the World Stage
Arturo Coello was born on March 8, 2002, in Mojados, a small town in the province of Valladolid in central Spain. His father was an avid padel player, and the sport was part of family life from early on. Coello started playing at his local club, the Polideportivo de Mojados, and by the time he was 10 years old he had already decided that padel was where he was putting all of his energy.
The progression was rapid. At 16 he earned a sports scholarship that allowed him to train seriously. At 17 he turned professional, entering a circuit populated by players five and ten years his senior. He was raw in some respects but technically remarkable from the start.
One thing set him apart from most of the players around him: he is left-handed. In padel, a left-handed player almost always takes the right side of the court when paired with a right-handed partner. That arrangement puts both forehands covering the centre, which is the most contested zone in any rally. It is a structural advantage that elite pairs actively seek out, and Coello has built his entire career around exploiting it at the highest level.
The Partnerships That Shaped Him
Professional padel is played in pairs, and the partner you play with defines the trajectory of your career as much as your own talent does. Coello’s early professional years saw him progress through several partnerships. He started alongside Alberto Rea, then moved to Miguel Lamperti, and then Javi Ruiz. Each partnership taught him something different about competing at the top level, but none of them took him to the heights that came next.
In 2021, Fernando Belasteguín chose to partner with Coello. This was not a small thing. Belasteguín is the greatest player in padel history, a man who spent 16 consecutive years ranked number one and who, even in the later stages of his career, was one of the sharpest tactical minds in the sport. The fact that Bela looked at a 19-year-old and decided he was worth building around said everything about what the padel world was beginning to understand about Coello.
Under that partnership and Belasteguín’s mentorship, Coello won his first WPT titles. Miami. Madrid. Amsterdam. He became the youngest player ever to win a WPT tournament. The record books were already starting to be rewritten.
Then came the partnership that changed everything.
The Coello and Tapia Era
In 2023, Coello paired with Agustín Tapia. Both players are left-handed, both play the right side at different stages of their careers, and both were already regarded as generational talents. Together they formed arguably the most dominant pair in the history of modern padel.
They reached world number one in May 2023 after winning the Vigo Open, making Coello the youngest individual world number one in WPT history at 21. From there the wins kept coming. They went on a 47-match winning streak, the longest ever recorded in padel. In 2024 they won 14 of the 20 tournaments they entered. The pair continued their dominance into 2025 and beyond, redefining what sustained excellence in padel looks like.
Coello now lives in Miami, a city he has spoken about publicly as a key part of his personal and professional plans. Growing padel in the United States is something he talks about with genuine conviction, and his presence in the US market has helped accelerate the sport’s profile in a country where padel is still in its early growth phase.
What Makes Coello So Good?
At 1.90 metres tall, Coello has exceptional reach that gives him angles and coverage that shorter players simply cannot access. But the physical attributes are only part of the explanation.
His smash is the most feared shot in the sport right now. He regularly hits balls so hard and at such precise angles that they bounce clean out of the court, leaving opponents with nowhere to go. What makes it particularly devastating is the economy of movement behind it. One step and he can generate a full-power overhead from almost any position on the court. There is very little wasted motion, which means opponents get less warning about what is coming.
His left-handedness on the right side is the structural foundation of everything the pair does tactically. With both his and Tapia’s forehands covering the centre, incoming shots through the middle of the court feed directly into their dominant hands. Most pairs have to protect at least one backhand through the centre. Coello and Tapia do not.
Beyond the physical, what stands out to anyone who watches him closely is his composure. He almost never appears rattled. In tight moments in major finals, he plays his best padel. That kind of mental consistency at 23 years old is exceptionally rare in any sport. He credits Rafa Nadal as his idol, which perhaps explains something about his approach to pressure.
Coello Off the Court
Coello lives in Miami with his girlfriend Maica Cabeza. His younger brother Rodrygo is also pursuing a career in professional padel, adding a family dimension to the sport that his fans follow closely.
His sponsors reflect his status as the face of the sport. He plays with HEAD, using the Head Coello Pro 2026 as his signature racket. He signed with On Running, becoming the first padel player to secure a major footwear partnership with the Swiss brand. Alpine also sponsors him, placing him alongside one of the most prestigious names in motorsport.
On social media he is active and engaged, regularly posting about his life in Miami, his training, and his matches. He speaks about padel’s growth in the US with enthusiasm rather than obligation. It comes across as genuine.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Arturo Coello?
Arturo Coello was born on March 8, 2002, making him 24 years old as of March 2026. He became the youngest world number one in WPT history at 21 years, 2 months, and 21 days old after winning the Vigo Open in May 2023.
What racket does Arturo Coello use?
Arturo Coello uses the Head Coello Pro 2026, his signature racket. It is a diamond-shaped, head-heavy attacking racket built around maximum power, featuring Carbon Hybrid faces, Red Power Foam core, Auxetic 2.0 technology, and Extreme Spin 3D texture. The Head Coello Motion 2026 is the more accessible version of the same design.
Who is Arturo Coello’s padel partner?
Arturo Coello’s partner is Agustín Tapia. The pair have been together since 2023 and went on to become the most dominant partnership in modern padel, reaching world number one in May 2023 and winning 14 of 20 tournaments in 2024 alone and 13 out of 23 in 2025.
Is Arturo Coello left handed?
Yes. Coello is left-handed and plays on the right side of the court, which is standard for left-handed players partnered with right-handed players. This arrangement puts both forehands through the centre of the court, creating a significant tactical advantage in doubles play.
Wrapping Up
Arturo Coello is not just the best player in the world right now. He is the face of padel’s global moment. His move to Miami, his major brand endorsements, his age, and his sustained dominance all point to a player who will define the sport for the next decade. If you are new to padel, watching Coello play is the best possible introduction to what the sport looks like at its absolute highest level.
