Juan Lebrón  is a controversial player on the international circuit. He has made a name for himself, particularly thanks to his performances, he is one of the most talented players of his generation. With  Paquito Navarro , it even reaches  world number one in 2019 , then retains this place until 2023, this time alongside Alejandro Galán , with whom he joined forces in 2020. His career is marked by  39 tracks including  2 Masters Finals  et  2 Majors . But its notoriety is also due to its  strong character , sometimes poorly received by the public and certain players.

A “bad boy” image

The native of  Santa Maria Port  has built a reputation as a player in  hot temper . Whether with his partners, his opponents or even the referees,  Juan Lebrón  is often at the heart of tensions. We remember in particular the incident during the  WPT Chile , where he verbally attacked the referee after a foot fault was counted against him.

The tensions of  Juan Lebrón  are not limited only to the field, the Spanish player has also been involved in altercations with several personalities from the world of padel. We remember in particular the incident during the  Greenweez Paris Major Premier Padel , where a dispute broke out between Lebrón and the Argentine team surrounding the pair  Chozas/Augsburger .

According to  Lisandro Borges , tournament organizer and president of the Argentine Padel Association (although not recognized by the FIP), Lebrón would have shown aggressive behavior, even going so far as to verbally threaten  Facundo Guzzetti , member of the Argentine team and creator of the YouTube channel  Market of Padel The incident fueled discussions, reinforcing the image of Lebrón as having an explosive temperament, both on and off the court.

Juan Lebrón victim of his image?
Credit Premier Padel

Accusations of lack of fair play

Lebrón is also accused of lacking  fair play . Recently, during the final of the  World's Championships , he allegedly deliberately dropped a ball from his pocket to get a let. In the semi-final of the  WPT Toulouse  2022 he had chained together requests for physiotherapy and breaks to break the rhythm of the match : this behavior was obviously not very appreciated by Tapia and Sanyo, his adversaries.

During the final of  WPT Chile 2022 , A major controversy has erupted over a refereeing error.  Arturo Coello  made a winning smash that appeared to hit the glass. The referee, ruling that the ball had hit the glass first, awarded the point to the Spaniards. Adding to the confusion was the change in the score on the scoreboard: from  40/30  for Coello and  Wall , the score has gone to  30/40 , without the players realizing the mistake. Coello and Tapia, sure of having won the next point and therefore the title, did not notice the referee's announcement. For his part,  Juan Lebrón , who seemed to have perceived that the ball was good, did not show fair play, by refraining from awarding the point to his opponents.

Another notable incident occurred in Qatar earlier this year : while he was playing with Galán against  Yanguas  et  Garrido , Lebrón, in a gesture of anger, threw a ball at full speed that grazed Mike Yanguas' head. This incident sparked an altercation with Yanguas' coach and Garrido,  Mieres , and contributed to the duo's separation  Galan-Lebron , with Galán visibly exhausted.

Lebrón, unfairly singled out?

The controversies surrounding Lebrón are numerous and it would take time to list them all. They fuel and tarnish his reputation, but is he unfairly criticized? He remains very appreciated by many players, as  Martín Di Nenno , who publicly defends him. Aren't the public and the media making too much of him because of this "bad boy" image that has been created around him? At the slightest little thing,  Juan Lebrón  is being singled out. A  mistrust  seems to have settled around Juan Lebrón, but is it justified?

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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