Rising Rackets: Latin America’s Next Generation of Tennis Stars
Tennis is a sport that has long been dominated by talent from Europe and North America, leaving the rest of the world in their wake. While that’s still the case today, some youngsters from Latin America are giving them a run for their money.
Be it clay or hard courts, these young Latin American athletes are changing perspectives and bringing a fresh story to the almost predictable tennis scene. They’re bringing grit, flair, and hunger that’s impossible to ignore.
Three Faces to Watch
There are lots of emerging talents from Latin America, and we’re going to put the spotlight on the three brightest:
Alejandro Tabilo (Chile)
Although born in Toronto, Alejandro Tabilo is a proud Chilean and currently lives in Santiago. He began his professional career in 2015 and represents Chile internationally. This left-handed wizard has steadily climbed the ranks to become one of the standout talents in South American tennis.
Tabilo broke into the global spotlight in 2024 when he achieved a career-high singles ranking of World number 19. That made him Chile’s top-ranked player ahead of compatriots like Nicolás Jarry and Cristian Garín. He made headlines again at the 2024 Rome Masters by defeating then-World number 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets. He would then go on to do it again in Monte Carlo in 2025, cementing his reputation as a giant-slayer. Tabilo is a really intelligent player and he is great at crafting points with variety and precision, using angles and changes of pace to disrupt rhythm. He is always so calm under pressure, sharp on clay and grass courts, and has the potential to become Chile’s greatest ever tennis star.
Sebastián Báez (Argentina)
This Buenos Aires-born right-handed tennis star is a beast on clay. A former junior world number 1, he won gold at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games held in his home city.
Báez turned pro in 2018 and has steadily climbed the ATP ranks. He has captured seven ATP singles titles, including an incredible 2023 season with wins in Córdoba, Kitzbühel, and Winston-Salem. In 2024, he became the first player to ever win back-to-back titles at the Rio Open, announcing himself as a real Latin American powerhouse.
Báez reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of number 18 in June 2024 and secured his 100th career ATP win in early 2025.
The 24-year-old’s work ethic and baseline game are super impressive. He’s growing at a really fast rate and remains one of the region’s most promising players. He is currently the number 2 player from Argentina.
Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez
He’s just 20, but Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez is already making waves in Mexican tennis. No pun intended. Standing at 6’3″ and wielding a potent left hand, Pacheco blends size with agility, a combination that has a terror for opponents.
After becoming the ITF Junior World number 1 in 2023, Pacheco transitioned to the big leagues with notable wins, including a huge one at the 2025 Abierto Mexicano Telcel. He beat world number 66 Aleksandar Vukic to become the youngest Mexican to win an ATP Tour match since 1996.
Pacheco’s rise is even more impressive in a region where youngsters often lack infrastructure. With a strategic lefty serve and an aggressive baseline game, he’s particularly effective on hard courts—an insight that usually factors into tennis betting predictions where surface compatibility is key.
Mentality Over Mechanics
One factor that sets these emerging stars apart is their mental approach to games. The big stage doesn’t faze them; whether it’s holding a serve against a top-seeded opponent or bouncing back from a bagel set, it doesn’t matter; they just keep going strong.
Challenges They Still Face
Although these stars and many more are breaking ground, there are still some challenges. There’s still a problem of inconsistent funding and travel costs for ATP/WTA events, and unlike their European counterparts who can connect five different tournaments by train, Latin American talents almost always have to cross continents.
There’s also the issue of visibility. It is harder to attract sponsorship where they are because talents remain under the radar unless they hit the top 50 on the rankings or take a big scalp in a tournament.
However, with more eyes now turning south of the equator, we hope to see these barriers be broken permanently really soon.
