Level of play of the Coello / Tapia pair, association with Federico Chingotto, rise of the padel… Alejandro Galan recently spoke to our colleagues at Padel Up. He notably returned to his playing identity and commented on the fact that he is the player to have won the most points since the start of the season.

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In Genoa, all the details that make the difference were there

"It's true that in Genoa (6/1 6/1 victory in the final against Coello/Tapia), we played very well, and even hoped that we could continue in this vein in the following tournaments (laughs)! In this specific game, everything went well. All the details that make the difference were there, I don't even think I made any unforced errors, I don't know if that had ever happened to me before in my career... That day, we succeeded in everything, and in this case, I feel a little strange. I try to make sure that it continues, and above all to stay focused, because I know that the opponents will offer us different things. So we have to maintain extreme attention in this situation."

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Coello / Tapia: the best I've come across

"I would say that Coello and Tapia have weapons that we have not yet seen in the padel. Offensively, they are the best I have ever come across. That said, I believe there are multiple ways to play the padel, and that each match is very mental and very different. I say this to highlight the 'small' weapons that Chingotto and I can mobilize against our rivals. In any case, this is the first year that I find myself fighting for the number one spot against one and the same team. In each tournament, with Coello/Tapia, we are touch and go. It's quite special."

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Getting back to number one: I haven't lost my motivation

"I don't think I lost that motivation. It's just that last season was made difficult by Juan's (LeBron) injury. I felt like I had a good level of play, and I tried to maintain it as best I could. In the end, Juan came back and we had to gradually find a level both individually and collectively, by hanging on. That's what we did, and with Juan, we finally had a good end to the season."

Being a finisher: a characteristic of my game

"This is a characteristic of my game. I don't necessarily have to attack a lot in a game, but on the other hand, when I have the ball, I take a risk in order to finish the point. I got a bit used to this last year, when Juan (Lebron) couldn't really finish the points. That's when I started to occupy a bit more space on the court. With Fede (Chingotto), I have a partner who prepares the point very well: he really has to be congratulated for that! That said, frankly, I don't really have the feeling of occupying so much space and deploying such a high volume of play."

I stay away from social media

“I usually stay away from all that. We are professional players, nothing more, nothing less. I train every day, I do it with passion and I give my all. Afterwards, I go home and I give value to the positive or negative criticism of the people who matter to me. In the academy where I train, there are many coaches, I meet two or three of them and I make a point of listening to them. I can also be quite critical of myself. Without exposing myself too much and without expressing myself excessively in comments, I mainly try to give credit to the people who follow me and who like me. It is their criticism that I pay attention to in order to improve myself.”

Frederic Theulé

Not a day goes by without a line… of track padel ! For several years, Frédéric has decided to devote himself to his lifelong passion: the little yellow ball and its merciless world. Addict, did you say addict?

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