Maxi Grabiel is one of the most recognized players in the history of padel. He has notably played alongside other legends of this sport such as Miguel Lamperti or the current world number 11, Paquito NavarroThe Argentinian, who retired in 2022, has since taken on the role of coach. He tells us about his journey, from his beginnings in padel to his role as coach of the Top 10 pairs on the circuit. Premier Padel, on the microphone of the YouTube channel The House of Padel.

Maxi Grabiel, the professional player

From his first racket to becoming a professional player

I started a bit by chance. I'm talking about the 90s, it must have been 91 or 92, to be honest, I don't remember well. Padel was barely known at the time. By chance, the brother of one of my friends – I was very young, but my brother was older – had opened two padel courts. We didn't even know what they were. Before they were finished and inaugurated, we went to play, but we didn't even have padel rackets, nothing at all […] And that's how I started playing, and I liked it. I kept playing and so on.

In 1975, Julio Menditeguy, an Argentinian friend ofAlfonso de Hohenlohe (the man who introduced padel to Spain), decided to import the sport to Argentina. In that country, padel grew considerably, becoming the second most popular sport.

It's true that at that time, we didn't really think about making it a career; we saw it as a hobby that we enjoyed. Padel in Argentina grew very quickly after that. I started playing around 15, competing in a few qualifiers. Then, at 16, I joined the professional circuit. At that point, padel had already grown, and some players were making a living from it. I realized then that I liked it and wanted to dedicate myself to it.

Today, theArgentina count about 7 lotsIn 2025, it was overtaken by Italy in terms of the number of facilities, but remains the undisputed leader in America. It is a historic country and a benchmark in padel thanks to its large number of legends and champions. Argentina has also won the World Championship 2024, beating Spain in the final. With theSpain, these two nations are the main promoters of this sport and have produced the best athletes in the history of padel.

His arrival in Spain

As with many players in the Argentine elite, the move to Spain is an essential step to progress on the professional circuit.

I came thanks to my friend Cristian Gutiérrez, who is like a brother to me in padel. He already lived here. […] Until 2003, two foreigners were forbidden from playing together on the circuit. This mainly concerned Argentines, as there were also some Brazilians, but the majority of foreigners were Argentines. So, if you wanted to play the whole season, you had to have a Spanish partner, as was the case with Cristian who lived here, or Juan Martín Díaz. Otherwise, there were international tournaments in the summer where everyone could play. So we came in July and August for those five or so tournaments. It wasn't until 2003 that the circuit became more international, and that's when we were able to play the whole season.

His partners, the best and the worst

Maxi Grabiel shared the track with some of the greatest players in history, such as Paquito Navarro, Miguel Lamperti or, Fernando Poggi. But who was his favorite partner?

Sportingly speaking, I think I played best with Miguel (Lamperti) and Paco (Paquito Navarro). With Paco, we joined forces a bit by chance. I was separating from Miguel and he told me: “If we don’t continue together, I prefer to change now.” So I played with Paco to finish the season, and out of four tournaments, we won two and reached two semi-finals. It was in 2014 or 2015, I think.

And his worst partner?

Emotionally, it would be Cristian (Cristián Gutiérrez), because he's like a brother to me. But on the pitch, it was a disaster when we played together.

The worst and best moment of his career

The worst moment was the end of my career, not just because of age, although obviously others improve while you decline physically. But especially mentally. In training, I played very well, but in competition, mentally, it wasn't going well. I knew I could play better, but I just couldn't.

The best time was with Paquito and also towards the end with Miguel. After I split up with Paquito, I played with Ramy (Rami Moyano) in 2015 or 2016, and that period was also very good.

His role as coach

A leading coach in world padel, Maxi Grabiel quickly took charge of the pair Marta Ortega / Bea Gonzálezthen Pablo Lima / Coki Nieto before their separation. He also coached Miguel Lamperti and the pair Ortega / Triay. In 2024, he accompanies Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz, winners of the Barcelona Master Final.

Managing the emotional aspect of players

In 2024, Maxi Grabiel trained the Spanish player Tamara Icardo, a member of the World Top 20, and supervised the pairs Icardo / Salazar and Icardo / JensenThe Spanish player, currently ranked 17th in the world, was injured last season, which kept her away from the courts and forced her to miss eight tournaments.

The emotional aspect is the most important. For an injured player, the hardest part is being away from the field. My role is to stay close, support them, and minimize the severity of the situation, even if it's not always easy. Tamara, for example, suffered a small tear, but in an area that required a long rehabilitation. We have to help the player accept that injuries are part of the sport and not overreact.

His defining moment as a coach

In 2024, Maxi Grabiel trained the pair Coki Nieto / Jon Sanz, who achieved the feat of beating the world number 1s Coello / Tapia, big favorites of the Barcelona Final MasterThis victory in three sets, with two match points saved in the second set, was a shock in the world of padel, ending the series of 47 consecutive wins de Coello / Tapia, undefeated since July.

Jony (Jon Sanz) and Coqui (Coki Nieto)'s comeback in Barcelona. The match was completely lost. I looked at the time and thought I could have taken my flight that same evening instead of the next morning. Then they started coming back and it was very emotional. It was a special moment, especially because it was a Masters final against Coello and Tapia, who hadn't lost for a long time.

Coach of two pairs in the world's Top 10 in 2025

Currently, Maxi Grabiel trains the ranked women's pair 7th in the world, Tamara Icardo (17th) / Claudia Jensen (13th) and the male pair 4th in the world, Coki Nieto (9th) / Mike Yanguas (7th).

I'd never coached Mike before, but I knew him well from the circuit. He has a lot of character, which is an asset for competition, but you also have to know how to channel that energy. Luckily, I work with Mati Marina, who also coaches him.

Nicolas Fillaudeau

A big sports enthusiast and former tennis player, I discovered padel a few years ago without really focusing on it. Then I became addicted to this sport by practicing it and watching the premier padel matches. Looking forward to sharing the 2025 news with you!

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