For several weeks now, something seems to have changed at  Agustín Tapia Still world number 1 alongside Arturo Coello The Argentinian no longer gives the same impression of dominance as last season.

And the final of  Buenos Aires P1 , a heavy defeat against  Galan / Chingotto  ( 6 / 2 6 / 1 ), further reinforced this feeling: Tapia is clearly going through a difficult period.

 A much less sharp Tapia 

Visually, the contrast is striking.

Usually considered the most spectacular and unpredictable player on the circuit, Tapia now appears much more stereotypical in his game.

Less physically explosive, less incisive at the net, less dominant with his smash… the Argentinian seems far from his best version.

Against Galán and Chingotto, he almost never managed to impose his offensive power. Very few truly impactful smashes, very few dominant situations, and above all, enormous difficulty finishing points; instead, many weak viboras allowed Galán to put him under pressure.

Even more striking: the few smashes he was able to attempt were often countered or defended by Chingotto and Galán.

A scenario that was almost unimaginable just a few months ago for someone who was considered one of the best smashers in the world.

 Unusual statistics for a player of his caliber 

The final's figures are very revealing.

Agustín Tapia concludes the match with:

  • available in only  10 winning points 
  • to  5 unforced errors 

Opposite, along the same diagonal,  Ale Galán  literally dominated:

  •  25 winning points 
  • for only  6 unforced errors 

The gap is enormous.

Even Arturo Coello, usually so solid, currently seems less able to find solutions when Tapia is not at his best.

And above all, we feel that  Chingotto and Galán have now found the tactical keys to greatly disrupt the number 1 pair .

 A mental problem, too? 

But beyond the purely technical or physical aspect, it is above all Tapia's "body language" that raises questions.

We feel much less of that rage, much less emotional energy and resilience in difficult times.

During this final in Buenos Aires, the Argentinian never really gave the impression of being able to turn the situation around or find the mental resources to revive his team.

Has a sense of weariness been setting in for several weeks, and a need to take a break?

 A period we've already seen last season 

This more complicated period, however, strongly resembles the same period experienced last season.

In 2025, before the summer break, it was Coello who experienced a period of uncertainty. He returned stronger than ever in September, stringing together exceptional performances throughout the second half of the season.

Today, the competition seems much stronger and, above all, much more convinced of being able to beat them. Well, especially for Galan/Chingotto, of course.

 Is Italy Major a turning point? 

Good news nonetheless for the world number ones: the calendar now offers  Two weeks off before the Italy Major .

Precious time for:

  • recover physically
  • rework tactics
  • regain mental freshness
  • and above all, to regain that aggressiveness that made all the difference

Because one thing seems clear today:

  • Their position as world number 1 has probably never been so threatened since the beginning of their reign.

And now the question is starting to be asked seriously:
 Will Tapia and Coello manage to rediscover their best form before the summer? 

The answer will come in the next few weeks.

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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