Remembering Juan Aguilera, the former Top 10 Spaniard who toppled Becker in Hamburg

The tennis world is mourning the passing of former Top 10 star Juan Aguilera, who died at the age of 63 on Tuesday in Barcelona, his native city.

Aguilera, who turned pro after winning the Junior Spanish Championships in 1980, claimed five ATP Tour titles and reached No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 1984. The Spaniard retired in 1991, and was able to fully immerse himself in two of his great passions: literature and rock ‘n’ roll.

Inspired by the games of Spanish legends such as Manuel Orantes, Pepe Higueras and Fernando Luna, Aguilera took his first steps in the sport at Club Tennis de la Salud, in Barcelona. Juan stepped away from the game between the ages of 15 and 16 to focus on music. In the 80s, he even played guitar and drums with the rock band Palo.

Aguilera was blessed with a natural ability to play tennis, bestowing a certain elegance and ease upon the court. The owner of a sublime one-handed backhand, he soon caught the eye of coaches, who considered him to be one of Spain’s biggest talents.

Rafael Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, took to his X account on Tuesday afternoon to remember Aguilera: “My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Juan Aguilera, a great figure in our sport whom we will miss dearly. Rest in peace.”

Those that had recognised Aguilera’s ability were soon vindicated. He claimed the biggest win of his career when he defeated Boris Becker, the then-world No. 3, in Hamburg in 1990, 6-1, 6-0, 7-6, in the year the ATP Masters 1000 category was introduced.

To get to that final, Aguilera left in his wake the likes of Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Magnus Gustafsson, and Guy Forget. Aguilera, who was not even planning on playing in the tournament because he had to go through qualifying, benefitted from the withdrawal of two players and went straight into the main draw in what would turn out to be the best week of his career.

“I just played the best match of my life”, said Aguilera after defeating Becker in a rain-soaked final, which was paused for over an hour while the Spaniard had a 6-1, 5-0 lead. When they returned to the court, Aguilera finished off his masterpiece and was crowned champion in the German city against the biggest player of the day.

Aguilera also won the Hamburg title in 1984, prior to its upgrade to an ATP Masters 1000, where he beat Yannick Noah and Guillermo Vilas en route to the title. He also triumphed in Aix-en-Provence (1984), Bari (1989) and Nice (1990). Additionally, Aguilera reached four clay-court finals: Bordeaux (1983), St. Vincent (1989), San Remo (1990) and Palermo (1990). His best Grand Slam result was a run to the Roland Garros fourth round in 1984.

“We have lost so much talent, both on and off the court. Joan was special in every way. Sensitive. Thoughtful. Clever. Impulsive. Talented. And above all, a heart too big for this world,” said Tomás Carbonell, who reached No. 40 in the world and played alongside Aguilera, on X.

The Spaniard decided to dedicate his time to teaching when he retired. He became a coach at a club in Premia de Dalt, where he would teach children all the things he had learned during his professional career.