Background
Mariano Mendizábal was born on 1904 in Azkoitia, Guipúzcoa in the Caserío Atano from which his family pseudonym comes. Atano VII, his younger brother, also was a very important player, as was Atano X, son of Atano I.
Mariano Mendizábal was born on 1904 in Azkoitia, Guipúzcoa in the Caserío Atano from which his family pseudonym comes. Atano VII, his younger brother, also was a very important player, as was Atano X, son of Atano I.
The Juaristi (or Atano) family formed a pelotari dynasty, six of them were pelotaris and one of them manufactured balls. Mariano, Atano III, was the most well-known of them. Mendizábal made his professional debut in 1920, on the Azkoitia fronton.
He was noted for his speed, flexibility, fast plays and powerful serves that soon turned him in a revolutionary icon for the sport at a time when the prevailing playing style was one characterized by heavy rebounds and slow plays.
Mendizábal was also known for his fragil hands that only allowed him to play only once a month to prevent injury. During his career he beat the best hand-pelota players of the 1920s such as Zabala II from Elgoibar and Ulacia from Guetaria, losing only to Artamendi II, in Marquina with a final score of 13-22.
During the title dispute, played in a series of three games, Mendizábal beat his rival with the final scores of 22-19, 22-12 and 22-9. The last one was played on January 1, 1927 in Bilbao.
At the height of his career, Mendizábal earned 6000 Pesetas per appearance at a time when a regular pelotari earned only 250.
In addition, due to the frequent injuries caused by the fragility of his hands, his games were highly anticipated and recorded large attendances. 1st Hand-pelota Championships
Mendizábal went unchallenged for fourteen years, until the pelota federation established the first Hand-Pelota Championship in 1940. There, he revived his title after winning to Txikito from Iraeta with a final score of 22-8.
He was finally defeated in his final championship 22-6 by Miguel Gallastegui in 1948.
Mendizábal lost the ability to walk and was limited to a wheelchair in his last years, dying on January 12, 2001. After his retirament, in 1967 revieved the deportive merith medal and the main fronton of San Sebastián was renamed from Anoeta to Atano III after him.