Agustin Tapia is an Argentine professional padel player, born in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca. He shares the world No. 1 ranking with partner Arturo Coello. He plays right-handed on the left side of the court. His racket is the Nox AT10 Genius 12K Alum Xtrem 2026, a teardrop-shaped signature model in his NOX collection. He has been sponsored by Nox since 2017.
Who is Agustin Tapia
Agustin Tapia is the artist of modern padel. Born in Catamarca, a remote province in northwestern Argentina, Tapia started playing young and turned professional at 17 when Spanish brand Nox helped him relocate to Spain to pursue the sport. That move changed everything: within two years he was sharing the court with padel legends Juan Martin Diaz and Fernando Belasteguin, and by age 20 he was a Madrid Master champion.
Nicknamed "Mozart" and "The Genius from Catamarca" ("El Genio de Catamarca"), Tapia is known for the creative shots other players cannot imagine: behind-the-back returns, trick volleys, impossible angles off the glass. He brings a distinctly Argentine style - touch, improvisation, artistry - to a sport increasingly dominated by raw power.
The partnership with Coello
Tapia paired with Arturo Coello at the start of 2023. The match was perfect: Coello's explosive power on the right and Tapia's creativity, placement and defensive artistry on the left. Results came immediately, and by mid-2023 they were world number one.
The pair have since won 33+ titles together, including multiple Premier Padel Majors, and set a 47-match winning streak. By mid-2025 they had surpassed the historic mark of Pablo Lima and Fernando Belasteguin to become the second-most-successful men's pair in padel history. Only Belasteguin and Juan Martin Diaz - who dominated the circuit for over a decade - sit ahead of them.
Tapia plays the left side of the court (typical for right-handed players on pro tour). His partnership works because he covers everything tactically complex - defensive resets, lobs, tough retrieves - while Coello finishes from the right with aggression.
Playing style: touch over power
Where Coello overwhelms opponents, Tapia dismantles them. His game is built on five elements:
Unmatched touch
Tapia's drop shots, slice backhands and soft hands at the net are among the best in the sport. He can take pace off a ball and place it in a dying arc that opponents cannot retrieve.
Defensive artistry
Watch Tapia defend and you see shots that should not be physically possible - diving retrieves, improvised angles off the back glass, scrambling resets that somehow find perfect depth. He reads the ball as well as any player in history.
Creative attacks
Between the bandeja and the smash, Tapia has variations most players simply do not possess. He can play the vibora from unusual positions, mix in deceptive angles and create point-winning chances from defensive positions.
Mental strength
He rarely shows frustration on court. In tight finals, Tapia tends to raise his level while opponents break down. The calm is a weapon.
Tapia's racket: Nox AT10 signature line
Tapia plays the Nox AT10 Genius 12K Alum Xtrem 2026, part of the refreshed AT10 collection designed in collaboration with him for the 2026 season. The AT10 line is one of the longest-running signature collections in padel - Tapia has been with Nox since 2017 and his signature rackets are the brand's flagship range.
| Spec | AT10 Genius 12K Alum Xtrem 2026 |
|---|---|
| Shape | Teardrop |
| Weight | 365-375g |
| Balance | Medium-high |
| Core | HR3 Black EVA |
| Surface | 12K Alum Xtrem Carbon (new) |
| Features | Weight Balance, Dual Spin, EOS Tunnel |
| Level | Advanced |
The AT10 is a teardrop, not a diamond like Coello's racket - a deliberate contrast. Teardrops put the sweet spot slightly lower than diamonds, giving more forgiveness and control while still enabling attacking play. This fits Tapia's game: he attacks plenty but also needs touch, control and defensive capability that a pure power diamond would not provide.
Tapia's line includes multiple options: the Genius (his main model), Genius Attack (more aggressive/stiffer), Genius 18K Alum (softer, more forgiving) and Pro Cup (for intermediate players). See our signature rackets guide for how these tiered collections work.
Sponsorships and home life
Tapia's primary sponsor is Nox, the Spanish brand that signed him at 17. The relationship is unusually long for padel - most players switch sponsors every few seasons - and Nox has committed to extending the contract through at least 2026 with the stated goal of making Tapia "a face of the brand in the near future".
He lives between San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca (his hometown in Argentina) and Barcelona during competitive seasons. Unlike Coello who relocated to Miami, Tapia has kept strong ties to Argentina and returns home during off-season blocks.
Career record and 2025-26 form
- World No. 1 continuously since 2023 (alongside Coello)
- 33+ titles with Coello since 2023
- Multiple Premier Padel Majors including Doha, Rome, Paris, Acapulco
- Youngest ever MVP of a Master final (age 20, Madrid 2019)
- Joint highest 2025 prize money at EUR 486,645
- 94% win rate with Coello in early 2026
Tapia's 2025 season saw him win the Tour Final in Barcelona for the second consecutive year alongside Coello. He has been named in several "GOAT conversations" alongside Belasteguin and Lima, with the caveat that his career is still young - he is 25 as of April 2026.
In early 2026, Tapia famously continued playing through a torn finger ligament, modifying his racket grip to accommodate the injury. The dedication says as much about his character as the titles do.
What club players can learn from Tapia
Touch beats power
Tapia proves that you do not need to hit the ball hardest to win. Placement, timing and variation win points that power alone cannot. At club level, practising your drop shot and slice backhand will win more points than trying to smash harder.
Defend like you mean it
Tapia's ability to retrieve impossible balls is not just athleticism - it is effort. He runs for balls lesser players give up on. The habit of chasing every ball is trainable.
Teardrop rackets are underrated
The pro-level assumption that diamonds are for top players and teardrops are for everyone else is wrong. Tapia is the world number one and plays a teardrop. Teardrops give you most of the power of diamonds with much more forgiveness - for most club players, they are the better choice. See our teardrop rackets guide.