Athlete Agustin Tapia: Who is He?
At age 18, Tapia was number one in the Argentinian professional ranking of 2017. At 19, he became the youngest player to win a Master Final on the World Padel Tour, winning at such a young age the first tournament of his World Padel Tour career and becoming the youngest Master only two seasons later.
The young Argentinian began his 2019 season in 58th place on the World Padel Tour rankings. In twelve months, he won 50 places and climbed to number 8 on the WPT. Throughout his career, Agustín Tapia gathered an impressive list of padel partners, namely Jardim, Belasteguín, and Lima.
Tapia is the number one Padel player in Argentina. He was named the Mozart of Catamarca as well as the astronaut, “El Cosmonaut”. His achievements have once again distinguished Argentina as a highly effective athlete generator.
He plays incredible games and never gives up on a ball. The Padel player has an incredible recovery. He is ranked 3rd by WPT standards. He played a total of 248 games, winning 174 of them, bringing his winning percentage to 70%. He has collected 13930 points with an impressive eleven consecutive wins.
Agustín Tapia’s Statistics
| Name | Agustín Tapia |
| Birthdate | July 24th , 1999 |
| Birthplace | San Fernando Del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina |
| Height | 5’10’’ (179 cm) |
| Sport | Padel |
| Playing position | Reverse (backhand) |
| Dominant hand | Right |
| Years active | 2012- present |
| Partners | Marcello Jardim (2018-2019) Fernando Belasteguín (2019-2020) Pablo Lima (2021) Sanyo Gutiérrez (202-2022) Arturo Coello (current) |
Agustín Tapia’s Beginning in Padel
Agustín Tapia began playing Padel when he was just nine years old. He was then known as “El pollito” or “little chicken”. Very quickly, he stood out among his peers. Agustín started playing in the junior circuit tournaments only two years after his first introduction to padel. He managed to be number 1 for five years in the under-12, under-14, and under-16 categories, as well as the under-18 category for two years. El Pollito is a two-time winner of the Under-18 Pan-American Open; he has also played in the 2013 World Championship Under-18 teams and ended up a World Runner-up in the 2015 and 2017 Under-18 teams.
Agustín Tapia amassed a great reputation in Argentina by the time he was 16. Argentinian Padel fans already loved him and had him on their radar by then. In 2016, Tapia moved from his small hometown to Rosario, where he trained at the Padel Academy. There he met coach Pablo Crosetti. Crosetti is a well-known Padel tennis coach. During his training, Tapia succeeded in acquiring a NOX sponsorship to move to Spain to train professionally and enter the World Padel Tour tournaments. Crosetti was the one who helped him by accommodating him in his home in Spain and taking care of him as he was still a minor at that time. Crosetti made Tapia his project, which helped him rise in the WPT rankings.
Agustín Tapia, a breakout player
By achieving so much and earning so many titles at the junior level, many labeled him Catamarca’s Mozart. His winning streak did not stop at the junior level. Tapia’s success is exponential. Today, padel fans call him “El Cosmonaut” or “The Astronaut” for his ability to develop his style in the Padel courts and distinguish himself as a capable adversary. The astronaut title came as a result of his famous final blow, which he struck mid-air.
Tapia’s promising early start in Padel tennis set him up on a path straight to number one. After joining the World Padel Tour, the Argentinian padel player won many titles and championships. His impressive lineup of padel partners would have included Juan Martin Diaz if not for a foot injury Tapia suffered in 2018. He recalls the incident as the most regrettable time of his career.
However, after a full and hard recovery, Agustín Tapia went back to the padel courts with new determination and played the two best seasons of his career. Tapia’s games are both ferocious and elegant. According to Jorge Nicolini, the longtime coach of the Argentinian national team, Tapia possesses a natural sense of sportsmanship that may enable him to excel in almost any sport. Agustin Tapia is a natural on the padel court; his great sense of anticipation likens him to Juan Martin Diaz.
To Win Everything that Belasteguín Has Won
Tapia’s early association with big players and big coaches opened the door for him to be just as great. Early in his career, Tapia admitted wanting to win everything Bela won. This is a clear statement of admiration for the famous Padel player, Bela.
In playing beside Bela, Tapia won his first World Padel Tour tournament in 2019, the Madrid Master, which made him the youngest player in history to win a WPT tournament, in addition to being named MVP (most valuable player) of the final. The Padel pair were a strong team, they went on to win two more titles, the Sardegna Open 2020 and the Menorca Master final of 2020. Halfway through the Menorca Master, Tapia and Bela announced their upcoming separation in an emotional video that showed Padel fans how much the pair had bonded throughout the past seasons. They managed to beat the No. 1 pair, Lebrón and Galán, 6-3, 7-6, in the Menorca final in a memorable match that saw Tapia obtain the title of Youngest Master at age 21. It was a glorious farewell.
Tapia’s next engagement was with Pablo Lima in 2021, which was brief but great nonetheless. Together they won the Las Rozas Open 2021, where Tapia won the MVP award again, and the Málaga Open 2021. A few months later, the pair decided to separate, resulting in a new pairing between Tapia and Sanyo Gutiérrez for the remainder of the season. They succeeded in winning many titles, including the Areco Malmö Open 2021, the Estrella Damm Reus Costa Daurada Open 2022, the Danish Padel Open 2022, the Vienna Padel Open 2022, the Estrella Damm València Open 2022, and the Cervezas Victoria Málaga Open 2022. These wins allowed them to position themselves as the second-best couple in the world, with more than 10,000 points each.
In 2023, Tapia announced a new partnership with the young Arturo Coello. This union may just reach the number-one spot by the end of the year. They have already won the Modon Abu Dhabi Master 2023, the La Rioja Open 2023, the BTG Pactual Chile Padel Open 2023, in which they were able to show incredible sportsmanship and overcome a serious referring error, and most recently the Paraguay Padel Open of 2023.
