Fernando Belasteguin 

It is Argentina who claim hegemony when it comes to the sport's most venerable figures. Many cite Belasteguín, nicknamed Bela, as the best male padel player ever. Incredibly, he was the world No.1 for 16 consecutive years and world champion six times. Having been playing competitively since the age of 15, he retired in 2022, aged 43, after winning the Premier Padel Mexico Major, his 230th tournament victory. Starting out as a defensive player, he became more dynamic, powerful and devastating and drew adoring crowds wherever he performed. 

Juan Martin Diaz 

Diaz was Belasteguín's long-time playing partner and built a reputation almost as illustrious. The flamboyant duo first teamed up in 2002 and became the most successful combination the world has ever seen over the next 13 years together. At one stage they went unbeaten for 21 months. Diaz's audacious shots earned the Buenos Aires-born star the nickname 'El Mago' (The Magician). 

Juan Lebron 

In 2019, Spaniard Juan Lebron became the first European player to become world No.1. He achieved this feat whilst playing alongside Paquito Navarro, but when they parted and Lebron took up with Alejandro Galan in 2020, the success just kept coming. They topped the rankings for four successive seasons, winning 33 trophies together, before going their separate ways last year. Nicknamed 'El Lobo' (The Wolf), Lebron mixes aggression with ingenious strategic play. 

Arturo Coello 

The current world No.1 (as of July 2025), from Valladolid in Spain, Arturo Coello uses his 6ft 2" height to dominate the net while his equally illustrious partner Agustin Tapia does the leg work. Coella is explosive with incredible reflexes and often produces shots that has the crowd gasping. In 2024, Coello and Tapia won nine consecutive Premier Padel titles — and Coello is only 23! 

Carolina Navarro Björk 

Navarro Björk is an all-time legend, having been world no.1 for nine consecutive years and winning the world title on nine occasions. Born in Malaga to a Spanish father and Swedish mother, she represented Spain before switching her allegiance to Sweden in her later years. Now 49, she is due to retire later this year in her 32nd year as a competitive player. She has been a strong advocate for equal prize money and promotion of the women's game. 

Iciar Montes 

Spaniard Iciar Montes retired in 2015 aged 39 after a 21-year career which saw her ascend to the top of the game. She won five world titles with five different partners. Known as a humble personality off court and world-leading strategist on it, she is an all-time icon of the sport. 

Marta Marrero 

Marrero, who's from Gran Canaria, reached world No.47 as a tennis player and got to the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2000. She made a surprise switch to padel and was world no.1 on two occasions in 2016 and 2019. In 2022, she retired from the tour to have a baby and returned to competition just a year later. She is said to be retiring, aged 42, later this year.

Gemma Triay Pons 

The current world No.1 (as of June 2025) is a former tennis player who made the switch to the 20x10 in 2010. Since then, she has won the European and World title and with current playing partner Delfina Brea Senesi has won five titles so far in 2025. 

Best of the Brits 

Aimee Gibson 

Aimee Gibson is pound-for-pound Great Britain's best padel player, having become the first ever Brit to reach the world's top 100 in January 2025. The Essex left-hander was a tennis player and coach until late 2022 and turned pro as a padel player in June 2023. Since then, through her trademark relentless hard work, the 33-year-old has risen to British no.1, cracked double figures in the FIP rankings and won the LTA Female Padel Player of the Year award for the last two years. 

Christian Medina Murphy 

Christian Medina Murphy has been flirting with the world's top 100 for a couple of years now and is starting to make inroads in Premier Padel competitions, the elite level of the world tour.

orn in Kingston upon Thames and raised in Murcia, he has represented GB with distinction, including winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Mexico in 2015 and another bronze at the men's European Championship in Rome in 2019. 

Tia Norton 

Tia Norton is a British padel pioneer having represented GB since the age of 12. At a time when there were few padel courts in the country, especially near her home town of Leamington Spa, she pursued the game through her early teens and became the first British woman to win a match on the world tour. She's been setting new landmarks ever since and, still only 21, has time on her side to set many more. 

Sam Jones 

British men's No.2 Sam Jones started playing padel in Chigwell, Essex, aged 14 and made his GB debut at the World Junior Championships in 2015. Currently ranked just outside the world top 250 (June 2025), his key achievements include winning a FIP Rise title in Australia in 2019, reaching the second round of a Premier Padel event in Rome alongside Christian in 2022 and winning the deciding rubber of a World Championships qualifier against Germany in 2022.