This is the question that everyone is asking on the planet padel: who will Juan Lebron play with after the P2 in Venezuela?

Lebron in a difficult situation

Last week saw a real earthquake in world padel: the separation of Ale Galan and Juan Lebron after more than four seasons at the highest level.

Lebron Galan Riyadh P1 2024

Those who finished at the top of the WPT ranking in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and who started 2024 as the number 1 pair in the FIP ranking, will no longer play together. Indeed, after Lebron's hot streak in Qatar, Galan simply decided to put an end to his association with the native of Cadiz and embark on a new project with Fede Chingotto.

For “El Lobo”, dropped by his teammate, it is not so simple. Indeed, as we understood in his last interview, Juan does not intend to stay forever alongside his compatriot Momo Gonzalez, who, barring any big surprises, will only be an interim companion. It must be said that the native of Antequera, in addition to being obviously less strong than Galan, has very different characteristics. More defensive and much less decisive, Momo has a style of play which does not seem to appeal too much to Lebron.

In addition to still being marked by the events of last week, the current number 2 in the FIP ranking must find a new project, and despite his indisputable talent, interesting profiles do not seem to be flowing in.

What are the opportunities by staying on the right?

Concretely, we must first say that there are very few players close to the level of Ale Galan today. It is very difficult to see Tapia or Stupaczuk leaving their partners, and we therefore understand that Lebron will have to do his shopping outside the group that currently dominates world padel.

Announced several times alongside the Team player Babolat, Juan Tello, who doesn't really find his feet with Alex Ruiz, could be an option. “El Gato” is powerful, aggressive, and has a quiet side that could allow Lebron to fully express himself. The problem is that the Argentinian is struggling to return to the top since his separation from Chingotto, which could cool down “Juanito”…

The name of Paquito Navarro has also been put forward. The pair formed by the Sevillian and Sanyo, although semi-finalists in Doha, have already shown certain limits, and we therefore imagine that “Paco” could easily be seduced by a project with another of his former teammates. Problem: both men have very strong temperaments, Navarro is sometimes on alternating current and Lebron, in full possession of his means, will not be satisfied with playing supporting roles...

Going down a little in the ranking, we see that a Javi Garrido, who has been gaining strength for some time, could offer an interesting option, but given his complementarity with Yanguas and the dispute between Javi and Juan, it is difficult to see this association to be made. Indeed, before the incident in Qatar, the two Andalusians had already experienced a scuffle at the WPT in Miami. Garrido, who has just played his first final on the Premier Padel, could he leave Yanguas for a player with whom he doesn't really get along and who suffered diagonally from his teammate in Qatar?

A youngster like Alex Arroyo, who seems to have a fairly complementary profile to that of Juan, could perhaps be suitable but the fact that he is still far in the rankings and that he lacks experience at the highest level should certainly cool James…

Going back to the left, a possibility?

Before reigning supreme on the world padel court on the right side, first with Navarro and then with Galan, Juan Lebron was a left-wing player feared by many. Very athletic and with impressive firepower, the Andalusian could certainly still cause harm on the backhand diagonal. But after having experienced the heights on the right, and having made his sport evolve, will he want to take this gamble?

In the event of a change of sides, “Juanito” would certainly form an interesting pair with Jon Sanz for example. The spinning left-hander could take up a little space in the center, allow Lebron to rest his forearm, and bring him his madness and competitiveness. These two players with strong characters could certainly create sparks on the track. Very comfortable with Galan, could Sanz, who cannot currently play the leading roles with Coki Nieto, be the perfect companion for the native of Cádiz?

Another option could also be Alex Ruiz, who is having disappointing results with Juan Tello. Like Sanz, Ruiz is left-handed and offensive, but he is more calm and collected on the floor. However, like Tello, he is not really confident at the moment, which could worry “El Lobo”…

The powerful Pablo Cardona, in full development, could also be interesting, but like Alex Arroyo, the young Spaniard is far in the ranking, and he lacks experience in the big leagues...

Pablo-Cardona-smash-left-handed-bullpadel

At present, it is difficult to see the world number 2 moving to the left to play with a right-hander. In all likelihood, he should either stay on the right and rely on a powerful and decisive player, or move to the left to play with an aggressive left-hander.

Obviously, we will have to wait before knowing more on the subject, but we can already have fun making predictions. In your opinion, which player will Juan LeBron start a new project with?

Xan is a fan of padel. But also of rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel players, he finds atypical posts or deals with current topics. He also gives you some advice to develop your physique for padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the padel court!

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