Last week marked the return of the circuit Premier Padel in South America with the Asunción, Paraguay, stop. But this tournament was also the scene of a moment of intense tension between two figures of world padel: Juan LeBron and Franco Stupaczuk, recently reunited as the world's third pair.
In his latest episode of Padel Talk, Teo Vieau returns in detail to the explosive episode that shook up this comeback. After two tournaments of absence due to an injury of the Argentinian, the fans expected a lot from this meeting. But in quarter-final against Cardona / Augsburger, everything changed.
Tensions on the bench, breakdown on the pitch
As both players have just conceded a break in the third set, the cameras capture a tense scene during the change of ends. Juan Lebron, visibly annoyed, invectives Stupaczuk, accusing him of passivity:
"I'm a little smart, I need you here, in this game! Come on!"
"We're alone here, in a velodrome, calm down! Let's get back to the game!"
A tense exchange, attempted to be defused by Carlos Pozzoni, their coach. In vain. The team's dynamic will not recover. Lebron and Stupa will no longer win a game and will bow 6/2 in the final set. Even worse, Lebron will leave the track in a hurry, leaving his partner alone.
Networks on fire, future uncertain
The episode quickly made the rounds on social media, rekindling questions about Juan Lebron's temperament. For Téo Vieau, this sequence is symptomatic of internal tensions:
"We wonder if LeBron's old demons are back."
And the question asked at the end of the episode sums up the doubts of many fans:
Can Stupa support Lebron for much longer?
