The voices driving Martin Landaluce and Federico Cina to the top | ATP Tour

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The voices that propel Landaluce & Cina to the top

Landalus coach Oscar Briza opens up about their relationship

November 25, 2025

In tennis, a sport that emphasizes the lone competitor, it’s easy to forget how much a player’s identity is shaped before he even steps on the court. For Martin Landaluce, heading steadily towards the 2025 Next Generation ATP Finals under PIF is not only about his talent growing, but also about having the right voices around him to push, guide and ground him.

One of them comes from Oscar Burrieza, one of Espanyol’s two coaches, along with Esteban Carril.

Landaluce’s relationship with Burrieza began with a phone call. At just 14 years old, Landalus is full of potential but remains an enigma to top coaches. Briza was working with high-profile pros in Madrid when Landalus’ father reached out.

“I remember his dad called me and talked to me about the possibility of coaching Martin,” Brizza told ATPTour.com in September. “He wasn’t sure if I wanted to coach a 14-year-old kid. He asked me if I knew him.”

Brizza did what any coach would do when his curiosity is piqued. He goes online, finds a few games and watches them.

“I immediately liked what I saw,” Briza said. “From the first time we met, we had a great connection. Even at an early age, I could tell he was a very good kid, mature for his age, responsible. On the pitch, he was ready to work and eager to learn. To be honest, it was easy to work with him.”

That ease has turned into years of discipline, progress, and vision. That combination powers one of the most balanced young players on tour.

Landalus won the U.S. Open men’s singles title in 2022 and his first ATP Challenger title in 2024. He subsequently won the title again in 2025, with the 19-year-old reaching a career-high No. 110 in the PIF ATP Rankings in October.

Landaluce’s rise was built brick by brick, each milestone carried with Burrieza’s familiar sense of pride and purpose.

“As a coach, you feel proud and happy every time you and your players achieve something good,” Briza said. “Be happy for them, but also happy for yourself and the hard work you put in. When Martin became No. 1 in the junior world, when he won the U.S. Open junior title, those were very special moments. But to be honest, not much has changed. We enjoy the training weeks, not just the games.”

What sets Landalus apart isn’t just his backhand or court feel. Briza believes his greatest strength is rare and almost invisible.

“To me, his mental balance is one of his greatest gifts,” Briza said. “Tennis is mentally cruel. Most of the time, you lose. But Martin has this ability to wake up the next day and go back to training as if nothing happened. He recalibrates emotionally. Whether he is about to play the Madrid Open or a future tournament, his performance is the same. This consistency of attitude is rare.”

It is also cultivated. Briza gave him space, allowed him to be independent, and allowed him to be 19 years old. They travel together, train together, and find rhythm in the ordinary. Beneath the professional structure, there is a warmth that drives everything.

“We don’t need to be friends because I’m his coach,” Brizza said. “I care about him very much as a person. I love him and I really want the best for him.”

This personal connection shapes the player-coach relationship.

It’s a theme that runs through this generation of #NextGenATP stars. Italian Federico Cina knows this all too well. His rise, including his first tour-level victory in Miami and three ATP Challenger Tour finals, has been built around a familiar voice he hears every day: his father and coach Francesco Cina.

“That’s probably the hardest part, he’s a coach on the court and a dad off the court,” Cina said. “But my dad is really good at keeping the two separate. On the court, he talks to me like a coach, and off the court, he’s just my dad. I like to keep that balance. It’s cool and I feel blessed.”

Together they crush their opponents. Together they solve practical problems. When the pressure hits, Francisco helps his son return to normalcy just as Briza stabilized Landalus.

“My coaches and my dad remind me to continue to enjoy training,” Cina said. “It’s important to keep that spirit and the results will come.”

Briza hopes to push Landalus to the next level this year in Jeddah, where the Spaniard will compete in the Next Generation ATP Finals hosted by PIF. For Cina, further progress has been made alongside his father Francisco, who will be in good form to qualify for the 2026 Under-20 competition.

This is the fifth feature in our next generation ATP series Next. Read our other stories here:

Wimbledon dreams, Nishikori’s run and Finch’s sideline lessons: The next generation of stars share memories
Next up: How Tien, Basavareddy and Engel made the leap
Learning from the legends: Nadal, Cilic and Rahm inspire #NextGenATP stars
Fuel for the future: The mindset of the best young people