Rafael Matos Bio
Rafael Fabris de Matos, born on 6 January 1996 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, is a Brazilian professional tennis player who has built his career around doubles competition. Standing 183 cm tall, he represents a new generation of South American doubles specialists who have broken through on the international stage. He is best known for winning the mixed doubles title at the 2023 Australian Open alongside compatriot Luisa Stefani, a result that made them the first all-Brazilian pair to capture a Grand Slam trophy.
Matos reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of No. 26 on 6 February 2023 and also posted a career-best singles ranking of No. 440 on 21 May 2018. While his singles career has been limited, his doubles record has placed him firmly inside the elite tier of the ATP Tour, and he continues to add major titles to his resume.
Early Life and Background
Rafael Fabris de Matos was born and raised in Porto Alegre, a major city in southern Brazil. Porto Alegre has produced several notable Brazilian tennis players, and the region’s strong club culture gave him an early opportunity to train and compete locally. Growing up in this environment, he developed the technical foundations that would later allow him to specialize in the doubles game.
From a young age, Matos showed an interest in racket sports and gravitated toward tennis, eventually joining competitive junior circuits in Brazil. His early training focused on building a complete all-court game, including the serve, volleys, and baseline consistency that are essential for doubles success.
Path to Professional Tennis
Matos began his professional career in 2011, competing on the ITF Circuit and later progressing to the ATP Challenger Tour. His early years on tour were spent gaining match experience and learning how to handle the demands of the professional circuit. He worked to develop partnerships with fellow Brazilian players, an approach that helped him build chemistry on the doubles court.
By 2019, Matos had earned the opportunity to step onto the ATP Tour. He made his ATP main draw debut at the 2019 Brasil Open in the doubles draw, partnering Igor Marcondes. The following year, at the 2020 Rio Open, he teamed with Orlando Luz to defeat Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah, the reigning 2019 Wimbledon and US Open champions and ATP doubles World No. 1, in a match tiebreak. That victory announced his arrival on the tour and gave him the confidence to aim higher.
Rafael Matos Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Matos opened his ATP Tour account at the 2019 Brasil Open, where he played doubles alongside Igor Marcondes. While the result was modest, the experience of competing at the top level proved valuable for his development. The following season, he delivered one of the early highlights of his career at the 2020 Rio Open, partnering Orlando Luz to upset the world’s top-ranked team of Cabal and Farah.
That upset win over the 2019 Wimbledon and US Open champions signaled that Matos could compete with the best doubles teams in the world. It also helped him climb the rankings and secure entry into more main draws on the ATP Tour.
2021–22: Major Debut and First ATP Wins
In February 2021, Matos captured his first ATP Tour doubles title at the Córdoba Open, partnering Felipe Meligeni Alves and defeating Romain Arneodo and Benoît Paire in the final. Shortly after, on 3 May 2021, he broke into the top 100 of the doubles rankings at World No. 99. Later that year, he made his Grand Slam debut at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships with Thiago Monteiro, reaching the second round.
The 2022 season marked a significant step forward. He won his second ATP 250 doubles title at the Chile Open with Meligeni Alves, then added a third at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech alongside David Vega Hernández. Matos made his French Open debut in 2022 and advanced to the quarterfinals, a run that included a win over Santiago González and Andrés Molteni before a loss to Marcelo Arévalo and Jean-Julien Rojer. That result pushed him into the top 50 for the first time, at No. 43 on 6 June 2022. He ended the year with six ATP career titles, reached a year-end ranking of No. 27, and entered the top 30 for the first time on 31 October 2022 after winning the Sofia Open.
2023: Historic Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Title
The 2023 Australian Open was the defining moment of Matos’ career. Partnering Luisa Stefani in the mixed doubles draw, the Brazilian pair won the title to become the first all-Brazilian duo to claim a Grand Slam trophy. The victory was celebrated as a historic achievement for Brazilian tennis.
Throughout the rest of 2023, Matos posted strong doubles results, including a third-round appearance at Roland Garros, runner-up finishes at the ATP 250 events in Bastad and Chengdu with Francisco Cabral, a semifinal in Córdoba with Vega Hernández, and quarterfinals in Acapulco, Barcelona, and Halle. At Wimbledon, he and Stefani were eliminated in the opening round of the mixed doubles.
2024: First ATP 500 Title
Matos opened 2024 with a new partnership alongside Colombian Nicolás Barrientos. After early rounds at Brisbane and Adelaide, the duo found their rhythm at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, where they reached the semifinals. Their momentum peaked at the ATP 500 Rio Open, where they defeated Krawietz and Putz, Bolelli and Vavassori, and finally Erler and Miedler to claim the title. Matos became the first Brazilian in the tournament’s ten-year history to win a trophy in either singles or doubles.
He later added his ninth ATP title at the 2024 Swedish Open with Orlando Luz. Matos also received a wild card to defend his Australian Open mixed doubles crown with Stefani, but the pair was eliminated in the first round by Joe Salisbury and Heather Watson.
2025 Season and Defended Rio Title
Matos began 2025 representing Brazil at the United Cup, where he partnered Carolina Meligeni Alves in mixed doubles. Brazil was unable to advance past the group stage, with the team losing all of its ties. Later in the season, Matos returned to the Rio Open as defending champion and won his tenth career title and second Rio doubles crown, this time partnering compatriot Marcelo Melo. He became the fourth man to win multiple Rio doubles titles and the first to successfully defend the title.
Driving Style and Strengths
Matos is recognized for his strong serve, clean volleys, and calm demeanor at the net, attributes that suit fast surfaces and indoor events. He is comfortable returning aggressive first serves and has shown the ability to elevate his level in big moments, including his upset of Cabal and Farah in Rio and his Grand Slam breakthrough in Melbourne. His willingness to partner with a range of fellow Brazilian and South American players has allowed him to build reliable on-court chemistry throughout his career.
Notable Events and Milestones
The most significant milestone of Matos’ career is his 2023 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Luisa Stefani, the first Grand Slam won by an all-Brazilian duo. Other standout moments include his 2020 upset of the world No. 1 team in Rio, his first ATP title in Córdoba in 2021, and his historic ATP 500 win at the 2024 Rio Open. His successful defense of the Rio title in 2025 further cemented his reputation as one of Brazil’s leading doubles players.
Rafael Matos Family
Personal Life
Rafael Fabris de Matos resides in his hometown of Porto Alegre, Brazil. He has kept much of his personal life private, and details about his immediate family are not publicly available.
2025 Season Performance
Rafael Matos’ 2025 season opened with a United Cup campaign in which he and the Brazilian team struggled to find wins in mixed doubles and singles matches, ultimately failing to advance past the group stage. The early-season losses did not derail his doubles form, as he quickly shifted focus to the ATP Tour doubles circuit.
His biggest result of the year came at the 2025 Rio Open, where he defended his title with Marcelo Melo to claim his tenth career ATP doubles crown. That success reinforced his status as one of Brazil’s top doubles competitors heading into the remainder of the 2025 season, with momentum on his side and continued opportunities to add to his trophy haul.