From 830 to Career High: A Journey of Belief, Work, and Mental Strength

Eduardo Santana is a professional coach who has worked with both professional players, and non-professional.

In September 2021, I left my home country, Spain, to begin a new professional and personal chapter in Mexico. I arrived on September 15 with a clear purpose: to start working with a young Mexican tennis player, María José Portillo, who was ranked 830 in the WTA singles rankings at that moment. She was 22 years old, full of potential, and standing at a crossroads that many professional athletes know all too well — the point where talent must be transformed into consistency, belief, and results.

From the very first day, we immersed ourselves in work. Long hours on the court, intense physical sessions in the gym, and countless conversations with María José, her family, and the team laid the foundation for our process. For me, this stage is not optional; it is essential. Understanding an athlete’s background, personal story, emotional world, and competitive identity allow a coach to truly understand where the player is, why she is there, and what must be done to move forward. Only by knowing her strengths, fears, habits, and character could we build a path that made sense.

What impressed me most about María José from the beginning was her work ethic. Despite cultural differences, misunderstandings, and moments of tension that naturally arise in any
high-performance environment, she showed an extraordinary commitment to improvement. She worked relentlessly from day one, and the results soon followed. Six months later, in March 2022, she had climbed more than 400 positions in the WTA ranking, reaching a career-high at that time of 413 in the WTA in singles. It was a powerful confirmation that we were on the right path.

But elite sport is never a straight line. The year 2022 ended with María José around 650 WTA, and from the second half of 2022 through most of 2023, the results we were chasing simply did not arrive. She finished 2023 around the 500 WTA mark. This was, without question, the most demanding phase of our journey.

Week after week, we worked intensely on the mental, emotional, and competitive aspects of her game. Each training session and each tournament became a battle to improve, even if only by one percent. This is the true reality of professional tennis. Technical and physical abilities matter, but mentality is the pillar that sustains the athlete. It must be trained daily,
without pause, both in times of success and in times of struggle. These are two sides of the same coin, and both require equal attention.

What kept us moving forward was María José’s refusal to surrender. Her persistence during difficult moments is something for which I will always be grateful. She never stopped believing, never stopped working, and never stopped showing up with courage.

Then came 2024 — the most successful and satisfying season of her professional career. From January to September, María José climbed more than 300 positions in the WTA rankings. She reached five semifinals in ITF 35K tournaments, won five ITF 35K titles in doubles, being semifinalist of the ITF 100K of Vitoria, Spain, both in singles and doubles, quarterfinals at the ITF 75K in Vienna, passing qualy and reaching the quarterfinals, beating Victoria Mboko in the first round in straight sets, current Top 20 in the WTA ranking. With this victory and with several more wins during the year against players inside the Top 150 WTA, María José reached the best moment of her career so far — both in ranking and in level.

I would also like to highlight a special achievement in doubles: the title at the ITF 100K tournament in Biarritz, France (July 2025), partnering with Spanish player Irene Burillo and defeating very strong pairs (Top 150), demonstrating an enormous level and giving all of us a lot of joy.

As a coach, I have never believed that there is one single factor that “guarantees” success for any athlete. But from my experience, I do firmly believe that if the following aspects are not present, there is no real possibility of success in sport or in life: CONSTANT WORK, PERSISTENCE IN DIFFICULT MOMENTS (in good moments, it is easy; it does not tell me much), PASSION AND INTENSITY IN DAILY EFFORT, AND HIGH MINIMUM STANDARDS (for me, this is VITAL because every day, every week, every month, and every year, we all experience different emotions and situations in our personal life and inner world that can often become a constant brake in the pursuit of our purpose. Working so that every day, no matter what we feel or how we feel, we can still deliver a high minimum level of performance is the pillar of my belief and my work as a coach.

María José Portillo’s journey is a powerful example of what can be achieved when belief meets discipline. I am deeply proud to have been part of this journey and to have been able to help her.