Juan Martín Díaz Martínez (born 28 November 1975 in Mar del Plata, Argentina), known as Juan Martín Díaz, is a professional padel player from Argentina. He became world number one for the first time in 2000 with Hernan Auguste, but its most successful partnership came two with Fernando Belasteguín, together they had the most dominant run in the sport history, remaining undefeated for 1 year and 9 months and winning 22 consecutive tournaments between September 2005 and May 2007. They also hold the record for the longest period as the world's No. 1 ranked team, topping the rankings for 13 straight seasons (2002–2014) and winning 170 out of 191 finals played; thus becoming considered the best padel pair in history.
Career Early life
Juan was born on November 28, 1975, in Mar del Plata, Argentina. He currently lives in Madrid with his family, where he has lived for several years.
As a child, he wanted to be a tennis player, and the Davis Cup was his ultimate goal. He spent long hours at the sports club playing with his friends. In the late 1980s, he started playing padel, practically as soon as it arrived in Argentina. Gradually he gave up tennis to dedicate himself fully to the new sport.
Transition into professional padel and first partners His first step into professional padel was in 1994, thanks to Paco Pellejo, who chose him as his partner.
With the support of his family, he began developing his professional career alongside his studies. In 1997 he moved to Spain, and the following year he was selected to compete in the World Championship as a Spaniard in his hometown of Mar del Plata, Argentina.
First number one ranking and partnership with Fernando Belasteguín In 2000 playing alongside Hernán Auguste, they established themselves as one of the best pairs in the world, winning several tournaments on the Spanish circuit, including those in Sotogrande, Altea, Benicasim, and Madrid, and challenging Gabriel Reca and Sebastián Nerone for the top spot. In 2001, they won two titles in Seville, as well as titles in Altea, Sotogrande, Barcelona, and Bilbao, finishing as the best ranked pair of the year, ahead of Fernando Belasteguín and Pablo Martínez Semprún.
Partnership with Juan Martín Díaz Spanish/International Circuit era 2002 In 2002 he joined forces with the Argentinean Fernando Belasteguín, who was the No. 2 ranked in both international and Spanish circuits at the time with Semprún. Together they would be ranked as the No. 1 pair for 13 consecutive years, holding the unbeaten record with 1 year and 9 months without losing a match, winning 22 consecutive tournaments between September 2005 and June 2007.
In 2002, they first year together, they finished the year as the best duo in the world. They reached the final of each tournament they competed in, losing only three times, one of them against their former partners, Auguste and Semprún. They won the Bilbao, San Sebastián, Altea and Sotogrande Open's, the Torre Bellver and El Puerto de Santa María International's, the Santander Open and the Madrid International's, Barcelona International's, Bilbao II, and Seville International's. With these results, they finished the season as No. 1 on both Spanish and international circuits. They also won the World Doubles Championship, defeating Gaby Reca and Seba Nerone in the final.
2003 In 2003, Díaz and Belasteguín dominated both national and international circuits, finishing the season as the number one ranked team in both circuits. They won the Melilla, Valladolid, Bilbao, Oropesa del Mar, Marbella, Madrid, and Seville International's, with their main rivals being Gaby Reca and Seba Nerone, once again. One of their few defeats came at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona tournament, where, despite winning the first set and leading 3–1 in the second, they lost to Cristian Gutiérrez and Roby Gattiker. Their results granted another No. 1 finish on both Spanish and International circuits.
2004
In 2004, Belasteguín and Díaz finished the season ranked No. 1 for a third consecutive year. They won the Bilbao, Melilla, Seville, Valladolid and Barcelona International's, the Cantabria Open, the Cádiz, El Puerto de Santa María, Madrid and Seville International's, and the Madrid Masters. Their closest rivals, were once again Reca and Nerone. During the Valladolid tournament, hours before the quarter-finals, Díaz and Belasteguín traveled to Madrid for the birth of Díaz son, but returned in time for their match. After the end of the Spanish and International circuitis, Belasteguín and Díaz were crowned World Doubles champions for the second time, in Buenos Aires, defeating Reca and Nerone in the final. Díaz also played in the World Championship, representing Spain losing in the final against Argentina.
2005 In 2005, Díaz and Belasteguín won eleven of the fourteen circuit tournaments, winning the Barcelona International, the Bilbao Open, the Valencia, Lisbon and Córdoba International's, the Madrid Masters, the Higuerón and Torre Bellver International's, the Islas Baleares Masters, and the Badajoz and Bilbao International's. After a semifinal loss at the Madrid International in September, against Cristian Gutiérrez and Hernán Auguste, they began an unbeaten streak that lasted 1 year and 9 months, during which they won 22 consecutive titles.
Padel Pro Tour years 2006
In 2006, they completed a perfect season, winning all 17 tournaments in the inaugural edition of the Padel Pro Tour (PPT), the first organized international professional padel circuit. Their closest rivals, Reca and Nerone, remained well behind. Due to disputes between the PPT, the Spanish Padel Federation, and FIP, Belasteguín and Díaz didn't participate in the World Doubles Championship that year, but did play in the World Championship, where Spain was unable to reach the finals.
2007 In 2007, Belasteguín and Díaz won the Córdoba, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Vitoria, Madrid II, Oropesa del Mar, Salamanca, Fuengirola, Cádiz, Palma de Mallorca, Mérida, San Sebastián, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Las Palmas, and Alicante International's, and the Madrid Masters. Their unbeaten streak came to an end in the fourth tournament of the season, in Valladolid, where they were defeated by Cristian Gutiérrez and Seba Nerone. During the season, they suffered only two more losses, both in semifinals against Auguste and Reca, in Seville and Logroño.
2008 In 2008, they extended their dominance, winning the Ciudad Real, Granada, Santander, Barcelona, Majadahonda, Logroño, Vitoria, Comunidad de Madrid, Marbella, Fuengirola, Benicasim, Mallorca, Mérida, San Sebastián, Zaragoza, and Bilbao International's. The Fuengirola tournament win marked their 100th title won as team, won in the same venue where they first competed together. Despite a surprising elimination in the group stage at the Madrid Masters, they finished the season as the number one ranked team for a seventh consecutive year. Díaz didn't compete in the 2008 World Championship nor the World Doubles champions held in Calgary.
2009 The 2009 season began with two consecutive semifinal defeats, first in Granada against Matí Díaz and Miguel Lamperti, followed by a loss to Juani Mieres and Pablo Lima in Madrid. They reacted winning the Barcelona, Córdoba, Valladolid, and Alicante International's, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Madrid International by Mieres and Lima. They won the Marbella International, but were eliminated in the next four tournaments, with losses in the Fuengirola and Islas Baleares finals, and the Castellón and Sevilla semifinals. They responded with five straight title wins in the San Sebastián, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Valencia, and Ciudad Real International's. They were forced to miss tournaments in La Rioja and A Coruña do to injuries, but returned in Salamanca, reaching the final but losing it to Mieres and Lima. They finished the season winning the Madrid Masters, and securing their eighth consecutive first place rank in the international circuit.
2010 In 2010, they missed the first two tournaments of the season due to a Belasteguín's injury, with Díaz temporarily competing Roby Gattiker. In their reuturning tournaments, in the Mar del Plata and Ciudad Real International's, Belasteguín and Díaz reached the semifinals and were eliminated in the quarterfinals, respectively. They won the San Sebastián International, but in Madrid were eliminated in the semifinals by the second ranked pair, Mieres and Lima. They won the next six International's in Barcelona, Alicante, Madrid, Castellón, Marbella, and Fuengirola. Despite an unexpected loss, in the Palma de Mallorca semifinals and a defeat in the Seville final, they won the four more International tournaments in Pamplona, Bilbao, Murcia, and La Rioja, and finished the season winning the Madrid Masters. They finished the season as the number one ranked team.
2011 In 2011, Belasteguín and Díaz started the season with a loss in the Mendoza International final, against Juani Mieres and Pablo Lima. They didn't compete in Tarragona due to Belasteguín's injury, but returned winning two consecutive titles, the Madrid and Barcelona International's. They were eliminated in the Córdoba International quarterfinals by Sanyo Gutiérrez and Seba Nerone, but responded winning the Valladolid, Alicante, Castellón, and Marbella International's. In Fuengirola, they were surprisingly defeated in the round-of-16, but rebounded winning the Gijón International. They lost in Palma de Mallorca to Nerone and Gutiérrez, but finished the season winning the Seville, Madrid, Bilbao, Logroño, and Vitoria-Gasteiz International's. Their final match of the year was a quarterfinal loss at the Madrid Masters against Reca and Silingo.
2012 The 2012 season was the most difficult for the pair so far, beginning with a loss in the final of the Mendoza International, and followed by a win in the Buenos Aires International. Belasteguín and Díaz competed in the World Doubles Championship in Barcelona, having missed the 2006, 2008, and 2010 editions due to disputes between PPT and FIP. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Cristian Gutiérrez and Fernando Poggi. They responded winning the Madrid, Barcelona, Córdoba, and Valladolid International's. A semifinal loss in Alicante against Nerone and Gutiérrez didn't affect them, as they won the next four International's tournament in Marbella, Fuengirola, Mallorca, and Ibiza. They didn't compete in Acapulco, returning in the Madrid International, and winning it. Due to a Belasteguín's injury, they didn't compete in Seville and were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Valencia International by a young Paquito Navarro. The injury also forced Belasteguín to miss tournaments in Bilbao, La Rioja, and the Madrid Masters. Despite not competing in the last three tournaments, Belasteguín and Díaz had already secured the number 1 Ranking, finishing the season as the No. 1 team for the eleventh consecutive year and reaching a decade as the top pair in professional padel.
World Padel Tour 2013