Despite being a relatively "young" sport, padel already has a history. There are players who have made history thanks to their records and achievements that are not easy to achieve. Below, we introduce you to six historic padel players whose names will be etched forever in the history of this sport.

Six Historic Padel Players

Fernando Belasteguín

Fernando Belasteguín is, for many, the best padel player in history. Born in Pehuajo, Argentina, he is currently one of the veterans of the World Padel Tour. But, the most impressive thing is that, at 42 years old, he continues to compete head-to-head with the youngest and most talented players in the tournament. In addition to his long career, Bela has an enormous list of accolades in his logbook. In fact, he is the top winner of Open and Master events in the men's category. But, he is also known for having been in the number one spot in the World Padel Tour ranking for 15 consecutive years. We are sure that it will be a long time before a player can achieve such dominance for so long. In fact, we may never see anything similar again. In addition, Belasteguín continues to hold the record for being the youngest player to reach the top spot in the WPT ranking, doing so at just 22 years old.

Bea González

Bea González is the player of the moment, the one who appears in all the advertising campaigns for the women's World Padel Tour. The player from Malaga is currently in the 10th position in the world ranking, but that is not the reason why she is already considered a historic player. Bea González is the youngest padel player to win a top-level title on the World Padel Tour. She achieved this when she was crowned champion of the Madrid Open 2019, along with her partner Martita Ortega, at just 18 years old. Since then, the Malaga-born player has entered the history of this sport, and it is very difficult for another player to break this record.

Arturo Coello

If we talk about players who have made history, Arturo Coello cannot be left out of the list of historic padel players. We started 2022 with the news that the player born in Valladolid had become the youngest player in history to win an official World Padel Tour tournament. He achieved this with his experienced and legendary partner Belasteguín, who chose him this season to combine his experience with his youth. At just 19 years old, the player from Valladolid conquered the Miami Open 2022, the first tournament of the year, to officially become part of padel history. This victory dethrones the previous record holder, Agustín Tapia, who at 20 years old, had been champion of the Madrid Master 2019.

Alejandra Salazar

Alejandra Salazar is none other than the current number 1 in the absolute women's World Padel Tour ranking. She shares this position with her partner Gemma Triay, with whom she has won 2 titles at the start of the 2022 season and 10 in total since 2021. The player from Madrid has entered the history of padel, and not exclusively for being number 1. We are talking about the most winning player of all time in Open and Master World Padel Tour tournaments. As of today, there are 38 tournaments in total, and below her are only the Sánchez Alayeto twins, with 32 accolades to their name. So, if all goes well this season, Ale Salazar will continue to be the top winner in padel history.

Martita Ortega

The player from Madrid, Marta Ortega, currently holds the number 12 position in the women's World Padel Tour ranking. However, there was a time when she was at the top of the ranking and there was no rival who could move her. In 2019, Martita Ortega, at 22 years old, became the youngest player in history to be number 1 in the WPT ranking, a record she still holds today. In fact, that 2019 season was a dream year for the player from Madrid, during which she managed to be champion of 7 official titles and 3 MVP awards. Currently, Ortega's hegemony has ended, but every season, she has the same goal of being number 1 again.

Juan Lebrón

And of course, the current number 1 player, "El Lobo" Juan Lebrón, could not be missing. And he earns a place on this list not just for having reached the top of the ranking, but because he is the first Spaniard to be number 1 in the world. Without a doubt, he has made history with this achievement, putting Spain at the top. He achieved this record in November 2019, after his victory in the semi-final of the São Paulo Open with his former partner Paquito Navarro.