Galán and Lebrón have won three of the four Premier Paddle dates and want to repeat in Mendoza. Photo: Premier Padel
Friends, accomplices in every game, understand each other only by looking and are inseparable on and off the pitch. Ale Galan (26) and Juan Lebron Chincoa (27) makeup the Spanish duo that for three years has occupied the first place in the world ranking of paddle tennis. They have come to conquer Mendoza, which could be their fourth consecutive crown under Premier Pádel.
El Lobo, as Lebrón is known on the circuit, was the first Spaniard to reach world number 1 and ended decades in which Argentine players dominated the game. The Andalusian, born in Puerto de Santa María (Cadiz), achieved his feat in 2019 together with the charismatic Paquito Navarrocurrent number 3 and member of the second highest pair, with the Argentine Martin Di Nennor.
Since the beginning of 2020, on his own initiative, “It was I who called Ale,” he tells Clarín Lebrón that he has put together a historic duo with Galán, from Madrid, whom he has known since playing in the minor categories. From there they don’t stop winning tournaments.
“We are friends, we spend most of the year together, even the holidays”Admits Lebron. Laughing, Galán confesses: “My girlfriend is jealous because she says I spend more time with him than with her“. And he’s talking about the Spanish actress and model Andrea Duro, famous for playing Yoli in the hit series Physical or Chemical.
Unstoppable: Lebrón and Galán have been number one in the world for the past 3 years.
The Premier Pádel was born this year as a new circuit proposed by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), chaired by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, owner of Paris Saint-Germain. The organizer in Argentina is the Argentine Association of Pádel.
In a short time and thanks to the level of prizes and players, the Premier has earned a privileged place among other circuits such as the World Pádel Tour and the APT Pádel Tour.
The Spanish duo has won in Rome, Paris and Madridthree of the four tournaments played at the start of the Premier. In Qatar, at the start of the competition, they were defeated in the final by the Navarro-Di Nenno duo. Now, together with the top 10 players in the world, they are going for the trophy in Mendoza.
Lebrón and Galán have already made it through the first round at the Aconcagua Arena, after beating the Ayax-Perino duo, 6-2, 6-4. “They play well and you feel tired from so many tournaments,” says El Lobo of that first game. On Thursday, they also overtook their compatriots Diestro-Fernández without leaving the sets, 6-3 and 6-4. And this Friday at noon, Jerónimo González Luque and Alejandro Ruiz Granados will be looking for the semifinal against the Spaniards.
Galán and Lebrón have won three of the four tournaments organized by Premier Pádel, including the one in the photo, Madrid. Now they go to Mendoza. Photo: EFE /
“We really want to win in Mendoza”, The duo confesses in chorus, with the goal set for next Sunday’s final which will be played starting at 18:30. Tickets are almost sold out, about 97% of the 9,000 seats are sold out that day. In Argentina the final can be seen on the Star Plus channel.
-How did they manage to be such a successful couple, does it have anything to do with the friendship they built?
Prince: We have known each other since we were 7, in the minor phase of national tournaments. Later in Madrid, when we trained with the same coaches, this friendship began, this love for teammates.
Lebron: Since my parents left me in Madrid at the age of 17 (the documentary that Amazon Prime has just released on the life of the n. Of this.
-How do you handle difficult times in the game?
Prince: Like any relationship, there are times when we can have more fights. We try to channel moments of frustration well, but the better we are, the better we understand each other. We see that there is sentiment and the results support us … our best level is coming out this year.
Galán, enjoying himself in the lands of Mendoza. Photo: Premier Padel
-What is the impact of the transition from the Madrid summer to the Andean cold in a few hours?
Prince: The change is brutal because in addition to all the tournaments and the cold, we have to adapt to jet lag, a 13 hour plane ride. In this, all players are the same.
-How does not being able to rest between tournaments affect you?
Lebron: We are tired but that’s what we want because it means we have reached the final stages and are doing our job well. I think that in Mendoza we played an excellent first game, we won and our opponents (the Italian-Hispanic duo made up of Arnau Ayax and Denis Perino) also played very well.
Prince: We hadn’t seen the track conditions well and the result was very balanced (6-2 and 6-4) compared to the other top ten in the standings. That’s why we had a more complicated game.
– What is success based on to continue being number 1?
Lebrón and Galán, do not give a ball for lost.
Lebron: Work hard, be consistent. It’s everything: physical, mental, technical.
Lebrón takes a backhand volley in Mendoza.
Prince: It helps to have the same goals and work the same way as our individual teams. It is also because of the trust we have in each other and that the results guarantee us.
-Today the question is who can overcome them. Do they go out on the field with an armor of invincibles?
Prince: There is no way. We have two guys ahead of us, 50% chance, but we know anything can happen. It is our desire to win that can make the difference.
-Winning the Paris Premier, at the legendary Roland Garros, will remain a milestone in your career: how did you live it?
Lebron: Yes, it was special for my country’s sentiment towards that stadium, for what it means for Rafa Nadal, with whom we feel very identified. We were very motivated by the whole scenario, by the tournament and luckily we managed to win it.
-How do you feel about the conflict over the competition between World Pádel Tour and Premier Pádel?
Prince: I don’t know who the rivalry will be because we players try to compete and offer the best padel to people. We defend that we are autonomous as players and we want to continue playing in other cities, such as Doha, the Italian forum in Rome, Roland Garros or Mendoza. We believe that more tournaments are good for the sport and for the players to bring the padel where it deserves to be.
-Do they know the cities they visit in competition?
Lebron: We had already been to Mendoza in 2016, it is a beautiful city.
Prince: This year we have 30 tournaments, we are 30 weeks away from home, more than half of the year we are away from home, and it is a continuous rhythm, where we can hardly take holidays.
– So far in the tournament, which has been the most difficult pair of competitors?
Prince: We went through sections where some couples cost us more than others. To beat them, we try to get our best version and there the results try to accompany us.
-And how do the new generations of Argentine padel see?
Lebron: We have seen the talent of many young Argentines like Leo Augsburger striking like an animal. I also loved Maxi Sánchez and his partner Juani de Pascual who surprised us a lot and have a great future. I wish them the best and train hard.
-Paddle has taken an unstoppable impulse to professionalization: what have been the most important changes?
Lebron: You won’t see who stops him. There is no middle ground, the padel will advance in the coming years and we all have to contribute. Sport does not stop growing.
Prince: A few years ago only the top ten in the standings earned their living from this sport, now it is growing and luckily the younger generations can experience it as an option in the future. We encourage them to play a lot and train hard to achieve it.
Rossana Badaloni
Source: Clarin
