Fernando Belasteguín, world No. 1 in padel for 16 years, finished 16 consecutive seasons at the top from 2002 to 2017. The record belongs to history because the Argentine left the professional tour in December 2024. In its report on his final match, the FIP described him as the greatest player in padel history. The International Padel Federation’s ranking history lists him at No. 1 in every season across that span, first through the main Spanish reference rankings, then the Padel Pro Tour and the World Padel Tour. This is why the figure of “more than 800 weeks” is often used. The FIP, however, documents the achievement season by season rather than through one continuous weekly count covering the whole period.
2002-2017: sixteen consecutive seasons at the top
Belasteguín first reached the top with Juan Martín Díaz. From 2002 through 2014, they finished 13 straight seasons as the leading pair. Between 2005 and 2007, Díaz and Belasteguín went 21 months unbeaten and won 22 consecutive tournaments. Sources covering that period describe the streak as one year and nine months without a defeat.
Splitting with Díaz did not remove Bela from the No. 1 position. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Argentine again finished No. 1, this time with Pablo Lima. The FIP record therefore confirms an uninterrupted run from 2002 to 2017 despite a change of partner and the transition from the Padel Pro Tour to the World Padel Tour.
The “more than 800 weeks” shown in the graphic is a conversion of sixteen consecutive years into weeks. Available historical records do not support presenting that figure as an official weekly tally comparable with modern tennis statistics. The verifiable record is 16 consecutive seasons at the top.
230 titles, 286 finals and six World Championships with Argentina
Belasteguín ended his career with 230 titles from 286 professional finals, figures cited by the FIP at his 2024 farewell and by the Miami Premier Padel organisation. That works out to roughly 80.4% of finals won. His final major professional title came at the 2022 Monterrey Major alongside Arturo Coello.
With Argentina, Bela also won six World Team Championships: 2002, 2004, 2006, 2014, 2016 and 2022. The official FIP roll of honour confirms those six titles. Another distinction matters: Belasteguín and Juan Martín Díaz won the World Padel Couples Championship in 2002 and 2004. The six team titles with Argentina should therefore be separated from the two world doubles titles.
A professional career that ended in Milan in 2024
Belasteguín announced his final season in a video published on his official Instagram account in February 2024, translated here by Actu Padel: “In 2024 I will reach 30 years as a professional, and it will be my last season as a professional player.”
In 2024 I will reach 30 years as a professional, and it will be my last season as a professional player.
His final match took place on 5 December 2024 at the Milano Premier Padel P1. Playing with Tino Libaak, he lost 6-3, 6-4 to Javi Garrido and Lucas Bergamini in the round of 16. Two days later, the FIP marked his 30-year career and 230 titles during the farewell ceremony.
The figures in the carousel therefore capture the scale of his career, with one caveat on the “800 weeks”: the strongest institutional record is sixteen seasons finished at No. 1. That run spans three different ranking frameworks and two partners, which explains the record more accurately than a simple week count.
