Juan Ignacio Chela

Juan Ignacio Chela is another great tennis player hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was born to Pedro and Felisa Chela on August 30, 1979 and has an older sister named Eugenia. Chela started playing tennis at the young age of six. His early start also garnered him early entry to professional tennis. Chela was only 19 years old when he turned pro.

What makes Chela stand out from other great Argentine tennis players? Chela has a knack of entering one controversy to another. In fact, in 2001, he was suspended for three months and was fined US$8,000 because he was found to be using Methyltestosterone. What’s worse is that he was found using the substance during the Cincinnati Masters.

In 2005, Chela was involved in yet another controversy, this time during the Australian Open. The controversy involved Chela attempting to spit at Lleyton Hewitt after losing the game.

Chela might have his fair share of controversies but it hasn’t stopped him from playing his best game in every match. Chela is a right-handed player and has a superior double handed backhand. Just like other Argentine tennis players, Chela’s favorite court surface is clay.

In 2006, Chela was recognized for holding a record of six victories and four losses in the Davis Cup. This gave Argentina a third point lead and beat Croatia to the quarterfinals. A year later, Chela appeared in the quarterfinals of six different Masters Event held in Rome. During these events, he was able to defeat great players like Marc Gicquel, Igor Andreev and Andy Roddick.

Chelo is trained and coached by Fernando Aguirre, a close personal friend of his. Currently, Chela ranks at number 38, holds 6 singles title and 3 doubles titles. Chela has reached as far as the quarterfinals for various Grand Slam events.