Paula José María Martín is a professional padel player, born on October 31, 1996, in Moraleja, Spain. The young athlete has climbed a few positions in the World Padel Tour ranking in recent years to rank 2nd. All this, thanks to her irreverent style of play and her way of understanding the dynamics of this sport.
Beginnings
“Dinamita”, as she is known for her aggressiveness on the court, entered the world of sports at a very young age, but she did not play padel. She started on the tennis courts and even became champion of Extremadura in this discipline.
However, one day she played padel with her father’s racquet in the company of a friend at her club in Cáceres, the Cabezarrubia, and although she did not win, she returned home with more desire to continue competing in local tournaments of this sport. It was, in fact, at the age of 17 that she made her debut as a padel player and, surprisingly, became champion in her Autonomous Community.
Given her great dominance in the 20×10, in 2017 she was presented with the opportunity to play for the first time in the preliminary stages of the World Padel Tour, and in the San Fernando Open tournament, she was able to enter the women’s main draw. The following year, she competed in all the final frames of professional padel, teaming up with Argentine Valeria Pavón, a former professional player and very recognised worldwide.
First victories as a professional
In 2019 would come the rise of Paula as a professional padel player, from that year was that she earned the pseudonym of “Dinamita”, but as a partner of the Portuguese Ana Caterina Nogueira, who curiously had teamed up with Valeria Pavón the previous year.
“La Portu”, by that time was a more experienced player at 31 years old, while Paula was only 23. A fusion that gave excellent results; it was very difficult to face the veteran of the native of Oporto combined with the irreverence of La Moraleja. Both were the favorite couple of the audience, and therefore, the fashionable female team.
The fact is that the Spanish player achieved her first triumph on the circuit, lifting the Madrid Master title. That same year, Paula won the Spanish championship, was European champion and revelation player of the World Padel Tour.
In 2021 he teamed up with Ari Sanchez, HEAD player, to form a super explosive couple demonstrating a solid, effective and limitless game, which allowed them to become “masters” of that season. They won the Master Final and conquered the blue heart of the World Padel Tour five times during the season.
Skills
Her skills have been the target of praise among padel enthusiasts and specialists, especially for her amazing attacking habilities. She herself does justice to her nickname, defining herself as an offensive style player, and has even revealed that she loves to hit the ball and attack.
The volley and the smash are her favorite shots, but despite being a champion she still has some defensive weaknesses. Especially when it comes to defending walls.
Paula has also boasted a masterful left foot and has a natural gift for opening up a lot of space with her shots. The best part? She has the ability to get the ball 10 feet out from beyond the line, a move that is a delight for fans who love to enjoy the sport.
Her aggressive style defines her perfectly, although she knows how to vary her game. In addition, her left-handedness and intelligence to move around the court when attacking have made her a very difficult opponent. All these strengths have allowed Paula to become a very successful padel professional in recent years.
Curiosities
Beyond his style of play, “Dinamita” is an interesting person who has certain attributes both on and off the court.
Firstly, she has a degree in Biochemistry from the UEx and obtained a master’s degree from the University of Valladolid in Secondary Education Teacher Training.
At the beginning of her career, Paula was in Cáceres competing with little regularity. It was when she moved to Valladolid that she was considered a very talented athlete and was presented with the possibility of playing on the full circuit, without abandoning her studies.
Before 2018 arrived, the young padel player made a testimonial presence in the professional circuit: a sixteenth round in 2015, an eighth round in 2016, a round that she also did not overcome in 2017 or 2018. There is no doubt, Paula José María Martín is one of the youngsters who arrived to revolutionise the World Padel Tour, with her exorbitant energy and passion for offensive play. It is very difficult not to be surprised with her performance on the court.
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