The semi-final of Milan P1 across Lebron / Stupa et Coello / Tapia almost turned into a tragedy. 3/2 in the first set, Agustín Tapia executes a violent smash… which hits Juan Lebrón's cheekbone. Touched and frustrated, the Spaniard lets his anger explode on the court.

A controversial gesture of humor

Under the influence of the pain and tension of the match, Lebrón hits the grid twice with his pala, while Tapia immediately apologizesThe audience holds its breath. The referee intervenes and sends a first “warning” to Lebrón for unsportsmanlike behavior.

But the situation degenerates. The Andalusian player, still annoyed, strongly protests against the decisionThe tone rises, and the referee gives him a a second warning. Meanwhile, Tapia, Coello and Stupa observe the scene, stunned.

One gesture too many

Still in discussion with the referee, Lebrón loses his cool again et touches the referee's arm three times to support his words. A gesture that the official could have interpreted as a physical assault. The referee then reminded him that “The third warning results in expulsion.”.

Fortunately for the player, calm gradually returned and the match resumed. But Lebrón came within a whisker of disqualification an episode that could have had enormous consequences in this electric semi-final.

Icy reactions on the bench

On the opposing bench, Wall, still stunned, confides to his coach Pratto :

“He hits the referee and nothing happens… He’s still playing.”

Coello, he sums up the general frustration with a meaningful sentence:

“Anything goes in this life. We get the sport we deserve.”

An incident that is likely to cause a lot of ink to flow, and which will rekindle the debate on the emotional limits of Juan Lebrón, often singled out for his excesses on the court.

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 !

On the same subject

Tags