Sofia Araújo: "At first, it was difficult with Claudia Fernández"

Before their split in the summer of 2026, Sofia Araújo and Claudia Fernández had spent several months building one of the top four tennis pairs in the world. During the BNL Italy Major in Rome, the Portuguese player opened up about it in the podcast. Bandeja about their relationship, their personality differences, and that final they were still chasing. A few days later, in Valencia, they would reach it.

This interview now has a special flavor.

When it is registered at Foro Italico in Rome Sofia Araújo is still playing alongside Claudia Fernández. The pair are seeded 4th at the Italy Major and are still looking for their first final of the season.

Since then, the transfer window has changed: Claudia Fernández now plays alongside Martina Calvo, while Sofia Araújo has reunited with Marta Ortega. The players' official FIP profiles confirm these new partnerships.

But Araújo's revelations help us understand how his relationship with Fernández was built.

"The mother? I'm practically the grandmother!"

The generational gap between the two players initially gives rise to a joke.

Araújo was born on November 30, 1994 Fernández, the 28th February 2006 They are more than eleven years apart.

When asked if she plays a somewhat "motherly" role to her young partner, the Portuguese woman immediately replies:

Sofia Araújo: "No, I'm practically the grandmother!"

Before getting back to it more seriously.

Sofia Araújo: "I get along very well with Clau. I think that ultimately, with every partner you have, you build a relationship."

But this relationship wasn't created instantly.

"At first, it was difficult with Clau."

Did her shyness make the beginnings more complicated?

Sofia Araújo: "At first, it was difficult with Clau because, as you say, she's a shy person. But when you get to know her, you gradually gain her trust."

Araújo explains that he has had very different relationships with his successive partners.

Sofia Araújo: "I think that, on that point, I got along very well with all my partners, even though they were all very different. With Clau, we're starting to get along really, really well."

And for the Portuguese woman, personal relationships inevitably end up influencing athletic performance.

"What you build off the track is felt on the track."

This is one of the most interesting ideas in his testimony.

Sofia Araújo: "I think that when you also have a relationship off the track that you gradually build, it shows on the track. And little by little, I think we're progressing as well."

In Rome, however, the results seemed to be slipping away from them at the decisive moment.

Before the tournament, the FIP emphasized that Fernández/Araújo had regularly reached the semi-finals in 2026 without managing to get past this stage .

And when asked about their objective, Araújo returns precisely to this frustration.

"We were two points away from a final, then one point away."

Have you set yourself a specific goal for this season?

Sofia Araújo: "No, I don't think we have anything concrete yet. As I said, we're building a project. I think we're playing better and better, we're getting along better and better, and that shows on the court."

Then comes this sentence:

Sofia Araújo: "I think that with each tournament we get closer. We were two points away from reaching the final, one point away from reaching the final."

The cape then appears very close.

Sofia Araújo: "Our goal now is to continue to maintain our level, to improve our level and, I hope, reach the final. I think we deserve that and I hope it will happen."

In Rome, another disappointment

Ironically, Italy Major will not allow them to achieve this.

Seeded 4th, Fernández and Araújo are eliminated in the quarterfinals by Giulia Dal Pozzo and Nuria Rodriguez , 3/6 6/3 6/2.

A historic result for Dal Pozzo, who became the first Italian to reach the semi-finals of a Major.

But Araújo was right about one thing: their first final was extremely close.

A few days later, his prediction came true.

Just one week after Rome, heading to the Valencia P1 .

This time, Fernández/Araújo finally overcome the last obstacle.

In the semi-final, they dominated Marta Ortega and Martina Calvo 6/3 6/2 and reach their first final Premier Padel of the season as a pair.

A few days earlier, Araújo had said:

"I think we deserve this final."

She had just arrived.

A final lost in three sets

They still need one last step to turn this first final into a title.

Facing Ariana Sanchez and Andrea Ustero Fernández/Araújo lost 6/4 3/6 6/2.

The pair had nevertheless crossed the threshold that Araújo specifically mentioned during his interview in Rome.

This sequence makes her statements particularly interesting today: she had perfectly identified the progress of her duo a few days before it materialized in a final.

"On the track, I am the lioness."

The interview also provides a better understanding of Araújo's personality and, indirectly, how he works with his partners.

His image on the track can be impressive.

Are you really different when you leave the track?

Sofia Araújo: "I think I'm completely different on and off the track. Like you said, on the track I'm the lioness: I scream, I look like a villain."

Even off-piste, his first impression can be misleading.

Sofia Araújo: "At first, I might look like a bad girl, but I think it's more out of shyness. Then, people get to know me and I'm a little angel... Well, a little angel, no!"

Araújo even says that some former partners were surprised when they discovered his personality.

Sofia Araújo: “I’ve had many former partners who were initially afraid: ‘Sofi really looks like a villain!’ And then they ended up changing their minds.”

"I love to joke around all the time."

Behind the competitor, another character then appears.

Sofia Araújo: "I love having this reputation for always cracking jokes. I think that in the end, what happens off the track is the most important thing. That's also what you take with you."

And she concluded:

Sofia Araújo: "People who know me really know me and know that I'm a good person, that I enjoy myself immensely off the track. And that's what's most important to me."

An association that has now ended

These statements must now be read in their historical context.

Fernández/Araújo no longer play together. As of August 14, 2026, Claudia Fernández plays with Martina Calvo et Sofia Araújo with Marta Ortega .

But the Araújo/Fernández association has had an interesting trajectory: several semi-finals, a persistent difficulty in reaching the last step and then this final in Valencia which comes precisely a few days after the interview in which Araújo felt that they deserved it.

A final that will ultimately remain one of the last great moments of their joint project.

Comments taken from the podcast Bandeja de Premier Padel, during the BNL Italy Major 2026 in Rome.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.