The round of 16 between  Juan Lebrón / Leo Augsburger  et  Javi Barahona / Maxi Sánchez  It almost turned into a major upset on Philippe-Chatrier. The third seed came very close to elimination before pulling through after a tremendous battle.  4/6 7/6 6/4 , after almost two and a half hours.

But beyond the completely crazy scenario, this match mainly offered a very interesting sequence on the bench between  Juan Lebrón and Agustín Gómez Silingo This discussion shows how important the Argentinian coach now plays in managing Lebrón's emotions.

Lebrón on the verge of collapse

For a good part of the match, Lebrón was not at his best.

Barahona / Maxi Sánchez win the first set  6/4 , then serve for the match at  6/5 in the second set In the tie-break, they are still in the lead.  5-2  and even get a match point.

Lebrón / Augsburger are then on the verge of elimination.

And on the bench, Lebrón gives himself over to Silingo.

"I'm having a very good year, but these last few weeks I've been suffering. It's not Leo, it's me."

A very powerful sentence because it primarily demonstrates a form of self-analysis.

Lebrón isn't making excuses. He's not blaming his partner, the game, or the circumstances. He's simply acknowledging that he's going through a difficult period.

Silingo, an essential role in channeling Lebrón

This is where the role of  Silingo  It's getting interesting.

Since the beginning of their collaboration, the Argentinian seems to have found a way to communicate with Lebrón. Not just on a tactical level, but especially in terms of managing emotions.

We know Lobo's temperament. For a long time, his frustrations could quickly take over a match. A bad point could turn into a sequence of several difficult plays, with anger, arguments, or a loss of concentration.

Faced with Barahona / Sánchez, we rather saw a Lebrón capable of  to put words to what he was feeling to listen to his coach and to leave.

Silingo doesn't seem to be trying to completely extinguish this intensity, which is also part of his player's strength. He's mainly trying to  channeling it to put it back into service of the match.

And on this point, the bench sequence is revealing.

A real work on himself

This match also perhaps shows an evolution in Lebrón.

Instead of getting angry at everything around him, he questions himself.

"It's not with Leo, it's with myself."

Just a few words, but they say a lot.

Lebrón seems to have understood that part of the problem can't be solved solely through padel. There's also mental work to be done, particularly in accepting periods when things aren't going so well, not getting frustrated at the first slump, and continuing to move forward.

And this round of 16 match is a good example of that.

Even when they are led  5-2 in the tie-break Lebrón/Augsburger are not giving up. They come back, save the match point, and snatch the tiebreak.  8-6 .

Then they quickly took the lead in the third set before concluding  6/4 .

"Today, all the credit goes to my partner."

After the match, Lebrón also wanted to put  Leo Augsburg  forward.

"There are a lot of emotions and I have to accept that right now, I'm not handling them as well. Today, all the credit goes to my partner. I have an animal by my side."

And especially :

"He should watch that match a thousand times to see how he managed the pair and how he boosted the morale of both of us."

Further evidence of this trend.

Lebrón acknowledges his difficulties and praises the player who helped him through the match. Again, this is far from a reaction driven by frustration.

A victory that could serve as a turning point.

From a sporting perspective, Lebrón/Augsburger came very close to disaster. But mentally, this victory could be very important.

They were down, had a match point against them, and for a long time performed below their usual standard. Yet, they found a way to stick together and turn the game around.

And in this climb,  Silingo appears to have played a central role , particularly in his ability to keep Lebrón connected to the game.

The 3rd seed therefore continues his Paris Major, but this match will perhaps be remembered above all as an important moment in Juan Lebrón's mental work.

Because beyond the victory, the Lobo has above all shown something that it hasn't always managed to do in the past:  to question oneself without losing it, to listen to one's coach and to keep playing .

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 !

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