Juan Martín Díaz Martínez, also known as “El Galleguito”, was born on November 28, 1975 in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Professional cricket player. Those who have followed the sport over the years consider him to be one of the best cricketers of all time thanks to his reflexes, creativity and ability on the pitch, including his achievements in different competitions as a professional achievement.
start
During his childhood, he dreamed of becoming a famous tennis player and one of his goals was to compete in the Davis Cup. People say he played a lot with friends at Deportivo.
He started dabbling in paddle tennis in the late 80s when the sport started to gain popularity in Argentina. From that moment on, the days passed and Juan gradually gave up tennis in favor of this new sport.
Along with his first partners Ezequiel Lorenzo and Leo Padovani, many already considered him a great future for padel, as he beat the It’s getting harder for him. He joined the ranks of professional rowers in 1994, thanks to Paco Pellejo who chose him as a racing partner.
A year later, however, he became the partner of then padel icon Alejandro Sanz, nicknamed “El Mago” (Magician). In 1997, he eventually traveled to Spain, where he participated in the World Cup in his hometown of Mar del Plata the following year as a Spanish citizen.
successful career
In 2001 he became the partner of Fernando Belasteguín and together they formed a very successful team in many Spanish professional cricket tours. Especially the Padel Professional Tour (PPT), where he is considered the first pair for many years. In fact, this is the only couple in the history of the sport to go 1 year and 9 months undefeated, winning 23 straight fights.
They have won a combined 170 of the 191 finals played on the Padel Pro Tour and the World Padel Tour (WPT), ranking first for 13 consecutive years. In 2015, Juan and Fernando sought new horizons, “El Galleguito” as Juani Mieres respectively and then with Maxi Sanchez. Then:
- In the middle of the 2017 season, the Argentine and Paquito Navarro formed a duo, which showed a good level in the Spanish padel competition in Europe and won the championship.
- After the separation of Sanjo Gutierrez and Paquito Navarro in 2018, Juan played with Navarro on the World Padel Tour, not least because of the excellent game they showed with the Spanish national team .
- In their first match of the year, the Catalan Masters, they lost in the quarter-finals. In the second edition they reached the semi-finals and in the third edition in Zaragoza they lost to Sanjo Gutierrez and Maxi.
- After three games, they returned to Bastad (Sweden) for the final, where they lost to Fernando Berastkin and Pablo Lima.
- In the Portuguese Masters, Paquito had an accident in the semi-finals and hit the court glass, causing the team to be forced to withdraw from the event. “El Galleguito” partnered Juan LeBlanc for the finale of the season after his partner was unable to play at the Granada Open.
Injuries in 2019
For the 2019 season, Juan Martin chose the young Argentine player Augustin Tapia (at the time) as his partner.
However, at the Jaén Open in May, Juan Martin Diaz started feeling discomfort in his knee and had to forego his second tournament on the advice of his doctor.
Unfortunately, the later diagnosis of this discomfort was a partial torn quadriceps tendon and he had to undergo surgery for the same reason that ended his life on November 24, 2016. 2019 season.
after a long recovery
In 2020, Juan Martin returned to the pitch after almost a year out with a knee injury, joining forces with Lucas Campagnolo. He has reached the quarter-finals four times with the Brazilian, although they failed to qualify for the Masters final, finishing 21st in the main draw.
In August, Juan Martin had to find another partner due to a muscle injury to Lucas Campagnolo. His choice perhaps surprised many, as he was not a player who was used to seeing them in the final rounds of the tournament, not even many times in the final draw, he was Diogo Rocha.
In September, at the Sardinian Championships, Juan Martin played alongside Antonio “Pincho” Fernandez, but lost in the second round to Augustin Siringo and Martin di Neno.
Juan Martin Diaz started the season with Coki Nieto in 2021 until June, when he announced his separation and joined Pablo Lijo. Lijo face another project together and finish the season with Pablo Lijo. His best finish came in three quarter-finals (Valladolid, Alicante and Malaga), where he finished 25th.
In 2022, Juan Martin announced on his social networks that he will start the new season with Augustin Gutierrez. However, he then followed in the footsteps of Álex Arroyo and finished the year with Miguel Benítez.
Finally, in 2023, Juan Martin Diaz will be paired with “The Rock” Agustin Gomez Silingo.
Although some time ago Juan Martin stated that he would not participate in the Premier Padel, he surprised us all and signed up for the Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel, losing to Ruiz-Bergamini (3-6, 6-2, 6 -3), they were the finalists of Milan P1 last December.
Juan Martin Diaz – Skill
- Juan is the true cricket ‘Zar’ on the court because of his ability to surprise his opponent with every stroke and achieve near-impossible returns.
- He has been an offensive player throughout his career, in fact taking the slightest chance to get to the net and not leaving until the score is scored.
- Fans and players admired his excellent reflexes, and even he brimming with confidence, staying in front of the net when his partner defended the pitch. What seemed like a move that didn’t do the couple any favors turned out to be a tactic to throw the rivals off balance.
- Off the field, he was known for his humility and kindness to those who approached him. He’s not limited to chatting with fans who want to greet him.
padel legend
Without a doubt, Juan is one of the most outstanding players in padel history, especially with his 13 consecutive titles. With Fernando Belasteguín at the top of the ranking after winning 23 races in a row, a feat so far unmatched by any other padel couple and one that will be very difficult to overcome .
Arguably, “El Galleguito” has won nearly every title the sport has ever existed on a professional level. He is very popular with fans both on and off the field. His opponents respect him a lot for his ability to return the ball in a way that many didn’t think was possible.
Final reflection..
Ranked number one for 13 consecutive years, Juan Martin Diaz and Fernando Belasteguin are clearly legends of the padel sport. In fact, it’s safe to assume that even though he hasn’t been a top mate in a few years, still being a pro at 47 years old after two knee surgeries is a feat, or at least, worth achieving.
Now, the question that maybe all his fans are asking themselves, but no one knows the answer to, is, how much longer will we see Juan Martin on the professional circuit? As always, time will tell. In the meantime, we’ll continue to enjoy his talent, creativity and skill on the court.
Finally, quoting him to end this article may partly explain why there are so many partner changes in padel competitions, even within the same season.
“Padel is an individual sport in pairs, but everyone is different and has their own goals and interests. It’s a business and you have to understand it that way.”
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