Franco Stupaczuk  spoke at the microphone of  The Paddle House , to new racket in hand, and gives us his truths about his collaboration with  Juan Lebrón , the ambitions of their new pair, seeded number 3 for the 2025 season, as well as the evolution of padel on a global scale.

An intense pre-season

The pre-season in padel can be challenging for players, who participate in tournaments such as the  Reserve Cup  (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and the  Hexagon Cup  during the months of January and February, before officially launching their season in  Premier Padel .  Stupa  has chosen not to take part in the  Reserve Cup Series , which took place in Miami, but was well contested Hexagon Cup  with the  Team Rafa Nadal Academy , where he was associated with his former compatriot  Álex Ruiz .

“It was intense (the pre-season) and I have pains everywhere, but we hang on and recover as best we can. In general, I train about  six hours a day , morning and afternoon, and I try to take advantage of the rest of the time to rest, especially on weekends. This is also one of the reasons why I did not participate in the  Reserve Cup  : I preferred to stay and concentrate on my pre-season.”

The association with Juan LeBron “El Lobo”

Behind the scenes of the collaboration:

An inevitable collaboration that took a long time to come to fruition:

Juan LeBron Franco Stupasuck 2025?

“Juan had already contacted me in the past, which I had mentioned in an interview, but it caused controversy. Then, after the tournament of  Seville , he tried to recruit me again, but I declined. He then contacted  Martín , who accepted.”

 Stupa  explains to us, in this interview, the reasons for his refusal to collaborate with  Juan Lebrón  during the 2024 season.

“For my part, playing with  El Lobo  tempted me, but I always preferred to do a good pre-season with my partner before starting a year together. That's what I did with  Martín , despite proposals from Arthur  mid-season in 2022. I like to start a project on a good basis.”

The Argentinian, who played alongside  mike yanguas  in 2024, had the opportunity to reform  “the Superpibes”  with his compatriot  Martín Di Nenno , but declined the offer, preferring continuity with  Yanguas , before receiving the call from  El Lobo .

Franco Stupaczuk Martin Di Nenno

" Martín  contacted me to reform our duo, but I told him that I planned to continue with  Yanguas . We had finished the year together well. But then the opportunity to play with  El Lobo  came forward, and I decided to give it a try with him.”

The complementarity of the pair and the daily life with Lebrón

 Stupa  did not hesitate when  Juan Lebrón  made him the proposal to join forces before the start of the 2025 season, despite his refusal the previous year. For the Argentinian, the two players are very complementary and are gradually finding their feet.

“We have a very similar style of play: a lot of intensity, great physique and a fighting mentality. He has an impressive quality of hand and plays aggressively and precisely. It is difficult to find this level of aggression and precision on the  drive side Where  Juan  was one of the best players of the  last three or four years . "

A complementarity not only in the game, but also in the state of mind and personality.

“He is very warm, he always greets you with a hug after training. But I have known him since his  12 13-years  ! We played against each other at the  Menores World Cup  and over several seasons.

He is someone  very frank , and I appreciate that. I prefer a direct person than a person who plays a double game, and unfortunately, there are a lot of them on the circuit…”

Objectives and ambitions for 2025

The pair's goal  Stupa/Lebron  is clear: the number 3 pair will aim for world number 1 status in 2025 and will fight to win titles on the circuit  Premier Padel . It is also an opportunity to return to the reason for his separation with  Martín Di Nenno .

We are here  third world pair , so our goal is necessarily to look upwards. In 2023, with  Martín , we fought for first place until December. But  Arturo and Agustin  were better, so we congratulated them. Our ambition was great with  Martín , but we had reached a point where our progress was stagnating. So we took different directions.  Ale and Chingotto  have been ultra-consistent, they deserved their success. When a pair is better, you have to accept it. As long as we give our  100% , there is no regret.

The evolution of padel and its internationalization

The internationalization of padel gives rise to tournaments around the world, and players are increasingly solicited by these trips, finding themselves far from their loved ones for most of the season.

“It’s difficult, but I’m used to it.  14 years , I left my family to live in  1 300 km  from home. So what I'm doing today is almost a walk for me. It's my job, but also my passion!”

When asked about the levers that could continue to advance this discipline on an international scale,  Stupa  tells us:

“Events like the Hexagon Cup , The  PPL (Pro Padel League) , The  Reserve Cup  and  World Padel League  play a huge role. They attract  big names in tennis and football , which intrigues the public and generates even more interest in our sport.”

Nicolas Fillaudeau

A big sports enthusiast and former tennis player, I discovered padel a few years ago without really focusing on it. Then I became addicted to this sport by practicing it and watching the premier padel matches. Looking forward to sharing the 2025 news with you!

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