Federico Chingotto: Bio, Titles and Playing Style
Federico Chingotto was born on April 13, 1997 in Olavarría, Argentina, to parents who both played padel themselves. He picked up a racket at five years old, and by his own account never really considered doing anything else. He plays the drive side, standing 1.70m, and is currently ranked among the very top of the tour.
Sleeping in the car to make it to tournaments
Chingotto's family didn't have money to spare, and traveling to tournaments around Argentina meant driving over 1,000km at a stretch. To avoid paying for a hotel, Federico would sleep in the back seat of the car with his mother or father, something his mother Sandra has spoken about publicly: he was small enough, she's said, to sleep comfortably back there, because there simply wasn't money for anywhere else to stay. The local butcher shop would give the family food for the road, and neighbors organized raffles and pasta sales to help cover travel costs. That's the childhood behind a player who's since lit up Roland Garros and the Foro Italico, and helped Argentina beat Spain to win back-to-back World Championship titles, in Dubai in 2022 and Doha in 2024.
The nickname
"Súper Ratón" (Super Mouse), sometimes just "The Mouse", is a nod to his relentless defense and court coverage despite being one of the smaller players on tour. It's not a nickname about size for its own sake, it's about how much ground he covers relative to it.
Playing style and equipment
Playing the drive side, Chingotto is considered one of the best in that position on tour, combining defensive persistence with a game that's grown sharper and more complete under his current coaching setup, turning training-ground potential into results that actually show up on match day. Bullpadel honored his breakout year with a racket specially built and customized for him, a rare gesture reserved for players the brand considers genuinely exceptional.
Titles and records
Chingotto has won 18 Premier Padel titles since 2022, most of them alongside Galán, and holds a career-best individual world ranking of number three. He's also represented Argentina at the World Championship alongside Agustín Tapia in the decisive team matches, helping the national team beat Spain in both the 2022 and 2024 finals.
Chingalán
Since 2024, Chingotto has partnered with Alejandro Galán. The pair, nicknamed "Chingalán", finished 2024 ranked second behind only Coello-Tapia, then won seven titles in 2025 and tied for the most final appearances of the season with 17. They opened 2026 leading the year's Race rankings and remain the pairing most able to beat Coello-Tapia with any regularity, though as of August 2026 they haven't yet taken the actual world number one ranking away from them.
For the full story of the Chingalán rivalry, see our history of padel's great pairs, and for everyone else shaping the tour right now, check our guide to the best padel players to follow in 2026.
