MADRID – 17-year-old Martín Landaluce from Madrid is making waves in the tennis world. He wins one competition after another and is rapidly climbing the international top.
The tennis player, born in 2006, was introduced to the sport at an early age. He comes from a real tennis family and could be found on the tennis court as a small child. At just six years old, he won his first local mini-tennis championship. Ten years later, as the third-youngest player ever, he won the title at the US Open Junior. He immediately climbed to the top of the world junior rankings in 2022. However, he did not appear on this junior rankings for long. With 6 titles achieved and 58 victories in that year alone, he made the jump to the professional level shortly afterwards.
Professional tennis
Martín Landaluce has competed in several Challenger tournaments since switching to professional tennis. By first focusing on these Challengers, he wants to continue to develop and strengthen his position before he makes the final jump to the ATP World Tour (the highest ranking).
He has now played 16 matches and won 6 of them. The quarter-finals achieved in Alicante and Valencia are worth mentioning. In Valencia he defeated Pablo Andújar in the Faulcombridge Cup, which moved him to 448th in the ATP rankings. This makes him the best player of his generation and the Spanish media are even labelling him as “the new Nadal” and “the new Alcaraz”.
Step by step
He himself remains grounded. He takes everything step by step and does not want to set goals for the future. For example, he tells sports magazine La Marca: “I mainly focus on enjoying the journey” and “doing what makes me happy”. His parents always travel with him and are his most loyal fans. They are also not concerned with what is written about Martín. Father Alejandro Landaluce: “From the beginning of his career, we have focused on playing every day. Martín follows his own path and we will see what happens. The most important thing is that we are happy today.”
Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar
The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, founded by Rafa Nadal in Mallorca, was already indirectly involved in the training of the tennis talent in Madrid. However, after his victory at the US Open, Martín Landaluce was invited to Mallorca and stayed internally at the academy. He quit his studies and chose to fully concentrate on his sports career. He trains there at a high level under the guidance of trainers Óscar Burrieza, Gustavo Macaccio and Esteban Carril.
Martín: “Without the support of the Rafa Nadal Academy it would be very difficult to realise my dream of becoming a professional. They offer excellent facilities and an expert team. This makes the difficult road I have to travel much easier.” He also regularly trains there with his idol Rafa: “He cannot be compared to anyone. It’s a dream, a privilege. The first time three years ago was very special. I don’t understand how I could hit a ball. Since then I have practiced with him several times and it remains an honour.”
