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9 Oct 2025 | 22.16
Martín Landaluce has never been in such good form as he is now. After winning the Orleans Challenger a couple of weeks ago and positioning himself on the brink of the top 100, it was time to sit down with the Madrid native to take stock of what this season has meant to him.
Although we will still see him in three or four more tournaments until the end of the season, Martín Landaluce already has the necessary evidence to draw a preliminary analysis of the year 2025. A calendar where the primary objective once again focused on daily work, on evolution as a player, and on personal development.
- Martín Landaluce explains his greatest learning in 2025
He hit the sweet spot a few weeks ago in Orleans, where he lifted his second Challenger trophy, almost a year after the first one. The triumph virtually places him as the world's #110, on the verge of breaking through the coveted ceiling. An interview with Punto de Break was the best solution to organize ideas and listen to the speech of one of the greatest talents that Spanish tennis currently has.
Let's start with the last tournament, reaching the quarterfinals in Villena.
It was a quite tough week; I arrived with low defenses from the previous tournament, caught a strong cold, and had a tough time those days. It was really hard; I had to make an extra effort to reach the quarterfinals, but against Carreño, the match was at a different level, I needed more. That day, I had a big drop, I needed a couple of days to give my body a rest.
If it hadn't been Villena, maybe you wouldn't have pushed yourself so hard, although it's never bad to test your body.
Both things make sense. We had planned to play those three weeks, in one, everything went better than expected, giving us some leeway to make decisions. I was ready to compete in the tournament, but the cold made me feel worse, in addition to the matches I had played. In the end, depending on how you feel, you have to make a decision. If it had been somewhere else, further away, perhaps we would have skipped it.
There was no cold in Orleans.
There, everything was very good, it went really well (laughs). Physically, I was as fit as a fiddle, the best week of the year, without a doubt. That tournament has helped me set a very clear path.
Improving every day, I know, but a title truly validates all the work.
Absolutely, in the end, we work day by day, trying to improve, having a very clear and long-term oriented path. But of course, you need to have a reward from time to time, especially for players of my age, with not much experience. For us, it's harder to work without seeing that medium-term reward, then as you get older, you understand how things work. In big tournaments, where you beat good players, you realize that all the work you've been doing makes sense. These weeks are always necessary; they give me a lot of strength for the rest of the season.
Were you worried about not winning any title in 2025?
The fact of winning it, not so much. I've been working all year on many things that perhaps are not so visible in the matches, but I'm trying to change my game, expand my repertoire, and incorporate new tools. Above all, I'm trying to use them in matches, which is the hardest part because it can reduce competitiveness at times. Everything came together in the Orleans week, but I was not in a hurry; I was convinced that a reward like that would come in the future, although sometimes you may rush things to happen sooner than usual.
If we compare the current Martín with the one who won in Olbia a year ago, is there a big difference?
Yes, as a player, there is a huge difference; I have improved in absolutely everything, and now in matches, I can do more things. I feel that I have improved a lot; the current Martín would give a good beating to the one from a year ago (laughs).
You mentioned adding new elements to your game, can you delve a bit deeper?
I've been varying a lot with my serves, trying to hit good services at crucial moments, coming more to the net, making shots that I wouldn't dare before in difficult moments, but ultimately, those are what make you win matches. I look for more winners, use more slice, bring the opponents to the net... it's a bit of everything, anything that makes me more complete. These improvements help me pull through matches that used to be challenging for me.
How is the evolution going? Are you satisfied, or would you like to progress faster?
I always want to push more, but the evolution is going well; we are satisfied with what we see. Last year, I wanted to improve many things, we discussed it in the preseason, and from there, we have done a great job. Also, I've had no pain throughout these months, allowing me to continue with that work consistently.
You are 19 years old, on the verge of the top 100, and winning titles. From the outside, everything seems rosy, tell us what we don't see, the fine print of the contract.
There are several things, although here everyone is fighting for the same things, making many sacrifices, and investing all their time. Sometimes you don't see the reward, but for players like me, it's crucial to give a different approach to what success means. If you only understand success as winning matches and tournaments, the journey can become very complicated.
And on top of that, far from home.
Look, in the last five months, I think I've spent five days at home. People think about traveling and imagine how nice it is to travel, meet people, and experience other cultures. It seems like you're having fun all the time, but the reality is that you miss being at home with your family. This is one of the hardest things about being a professional tennis player. In the future, I would love to be playing in the best tournaments but having them with me.
Do you still aspire to the highest level?
I always aim for the top; I want and believe I can reach that. I want to play with the best; in the end, you see them all day, looking for ways to beat them. I think I can really harm them.
Two years ago, when you retired Pablo Andújar at the Valencia Challenger, I asked you if you would sign up for having his career. You said yes.
Yes, absolutely. I would sign up for it, especially for what he was as a player and as a person; that's what I aspire to beyond the results or the money. What I most want to achieve in this life is to get close to what Pablo has been: having a great family, being a down-to-earth guy, and living off something that makes me so happy. Beyond the results, this is what would give me the most satisfaction in life.
Right now, you have a dual goal within reach: the top 100 and qualifying for the #NextGen Finals. Do you obsess over either of them?
Not at all, I know the top 100 will come at any moment, but I aim to go much further. Setting a goal, which is not real for my style of play, would be too small for me. Now that I'm close, I could fall into the trap of pushing just to get there, but my intention is to go much further. Of course, I would like to enter the next Australian Open main draw; I think it's a feasible goal. And in Jeddah, the same, we are all pushing like crazy, there are several players in a tight points race, so it's an exciting battle.
With your final tournaments to come, what lesson does this season leave you with?
The biggest thing I've learned this year is to redefine a bit the word 'success.' Everyone talks about success, from athletes to entrepreneurs, but it's a word to which I gave a different meaning. Now I understand it from another perspective; it helps me work more calmly and with a long-term view. This is what I've learned the most this year, besides complementing tennis with a bunch of activities that make me very happy. I'm finishing the year with a lot of strength as a person.
What are these activities?
I've been playing the guitar for not too long; it's something I love, I always take it with me to tournaments. I have another friend here at the Academy who also likes it, and sometimes I go to his place to play. The reading is a hobby I'm very keen on, I'm reading more and more, they are forms of entertainment that are helping me pass the time better.
Recommend us your latest read.
The other day I finished a book called 'Tuesdays with Morrie.' I recommend it to everyone; it's beautiful.
And finally, the question everyone's been waiting for: What happened to your hair?!
(Laughs)
Those curls were the envy of the locker room.
I had been thinking about it for a few months; I had let it grow very long, so I thought of doing something different. Ultimately, as you have very little time to spend at home, I couldn't manage to do anything; it was too long, it even bothered me, so I decided to shave it off. I think it was a great decision; I'm very happy with it [...] In fact, I think it suits me quite well (laughs). I've shed a couple of kilos; now I'm much faster.
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "El Martín de hoy le pegaría una buena paliza al de hace un año”
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