Agustín Gómez Silingo: “We have only seen 50% of the potential of the Lebrón / Augsburger pairing”

Finalists of the Premier Padel Malaga P1 after a remarkable victory against Ale Galán et Fede Chingotto in the semi-finals, Juan Lebrón et Leo Augsburg continue to generate buzz. Behind this partnership between a former world number one, Agustín Gómez Silingo orchestrates a long-term project.

In an interview with Brand , the former Argentinian player, now a coach within the Diagonal Academy , reflected on the progress of the pair, the daily challenges and the management of a duo with radically opposed profiles.

"We've only seen 50% of their potential."

Despite a first final in P1 and increasingly convincing performances, Silingo believes that the duo is still far from its best level.

"I think we've only seen 50% of the potential they can achieve together."

According to him, the main area for improvement lies in Leo Augsburg .

"Leo still has a huge amount of technical work to do. We are doing very in-depth work on the technical and coordination aspects. Many fundamentals simply hadn't been addressed before."

Conversely, Juan Lebrón already has an extremely solid foundation.

"Juan is a much more accomplished player. He was world number one and is still fighting to become so again. With him, we're more focused on making adjustments."

Former Augsburger while fulfilling Lebrón's ambitions

One of the biggest challenges for the staff is to get two players who are not at the same stage of their careers to work together.

"Leo is still developing, while Juan is already an accomplished player. The hardest part is getting them to be in the same place at the same time."

Silingo constantly repeats the same message to its players.

"Everything is a process. And a process takes time. Processes are never short."

According to him, two advances are already visible:

a clear technical progression at Augsburger;
important psychological work with Lebrón to teach him patience.

"Leo is a diamond in the rough."

The coach makes no secret of his enthusiasm at the prospect of working with the young Argentinian.

“Working with someone like Leo is extraordinary. He’s a diamond in the rough.”

The work focuses on elements that are sometimes very basic.

"We teach him how to hit a forehand from the baseline, how to execute a lob, how to adjust his opening depending on the shot... These are adjustments that require a lot of repetition."

According to Silingo, progress is already visible, particularly in defense.

"Today, he knows he can defend. But now, he has to manage to do it consistently."

It is precisely this consistency that still separates Augsburger from the best players in the world.

The pressure imposed by Lebrón? "That's normal."

After the semi-final in Málaga, Leo Augsburger admitted to feeling a lot of pressure playing alongside Juan Lebrón.

For Silingo, this situation is natural.

"Juan is demanding because he wants to win. Pressure is part of being at the highest level."

The former Argentinian international even draws a parallel with his own career.

"When I was young, Gaby Reca put enormous pressure on me. At the end of my career, I was the one making the younger players experience that same pressure."

He believes this experience will be beneficial for Augsburger.

"In six or eight years, it will be Leo who passes on this requirement to his 21-year-old partner."

Dealing with Lebrón's frustration

Augsburger's very attacking style inevitably involves taking more risks... and therefore more fouls.

This is a situation that the staff must also manage with Lebrón.

"We constantly remind him that he chose a project. Leo will bring him a lot in attack. In defense, he will give what he can today, while continuing to improve."

Silingo also points out that the reasoning can work both ways.

“Leo could also say to Juan: ‘You defend very well, but you give me fewer points on offense.’”

The idea is therefore that each person accepts the qualities and limitations of their partner.

Why the Málaga final was cut short

After the upset against Galán and Chingotto, many expected another top-level duel in the final against Arturo Coello et Agustín Tapia .

But Lebrón and Augsburger were quickly overtaken.

For Silingo, the reason is primarily physical.

"We reached the final extremely fatigued. Our legs just wouldn't respond anymore."

He explains that the emotional intensity of the semi-final has left its mark.

"We had a very long day, with a lot of emotions. We went to bed late and the next day we had to play at a very high level again."

A project looking to the future

Despite the progress made, Agustín Gómez Silingo refuses to speak of completion.

When asked if the pair is currently going through its best period, his answer is cautious.

“I don’t even know if there’s a ‘best moment’ in a padel pairing. Everything can change very quickly. What I do know is that we work every day to be better.”

A statement that perfectly sums up the philosophy of the Argentinian coach: The Lebrón/Augsburger pairing is still under construction But its potential remains immense. For Silingo, the best is clearly yet to come.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !