The world of paddle tennis was shocked at the end of this week by the unexpected separation of a duo that had returned weeks ago after having coincided in 2019 (they won five titles). As confirmed by the Spanish media Relief and COPE, Francisco Paquito Navarrese and Juan Lebron They will distance themselves again just 85 days after the latter has distanced himself from his former partner, Alejandro Galan.
The reunion of the Andalusian couple recalled old times, in which they became number 1 in the world, but the famous saying that “second parts are not good” applied to this moment: They did not reach any final of the seven events held in the last two months. It will be the second change of the season for Lebronwho will be paired with Argentinean Martin Di Nennowhich in turn will break the duo of the Argentine Superpibesformed with his compatriot, Franco Stupaczukwith which they have achieved 7 titles, 9 finals and up to 17 semi-finals in the last year and a half.
The news advanced by the specialized account Padel and Beers It was deepened by the mentioned portals and the changes will become effective after the Premier Padel of Malaga, which will be held on the Costa del Sol between July 6 and 14. The union would be effective starting with the Finnish tournament, which will be played from July 27 to August 4 and is the last test before the summer break. This hits the ranking head on because it is the third (Navarro-Lebrón) and fourth (Di Nenno-Stupaczuk) best duo in the world today.
The change will force Lebron to play backhand again at 29 years old, a position he did not play with Navarro, six years older than him. The right-hand side will be left to the 27-year-old Argentine, who will not change his marking to what he usually did with Stupaczuk, with whom he had teamed up in 2023 and, so far this year, they have not managed to be champions, the newspaper detailed. Brand.
The truth is that Navarro’s relationship with his -now- ex-partner had exhibited a short circuit in May during the Premier Pádel de Chile, where both argued in front of everyone with his coach, Rodri Ovide, whom Lebrón reproached: “I’m focused on my own thing, but don’t tell me things that I always do and are fine.”. Next, Paquito Navarro exchanged a dialogue with the coach in a very sincere tone: “It’s fucking crazy, I already knew what there was, but I didn’t remember, how outrageous”.
This conflict recalled the episode that forced the separation of the couple with Alejandro Galán, who made the decision after seeing the Wolf insulting his rivals and throwing a ball that heated up the atmosphere during the defeat against the duo made up of Mike Yanguas and Javi Garrido in the round of 16 of a tournament in Doha.
Galán, 2nd in the World Padel Tour world ranking, made this position official on his account Instagram and confirmed that he would be paired with the Argentine Federico Chingotto: “I want to tell you that I have made the decision to separate from Juan. It has not been an easy decision, but it has been well thought out. I want to thank Juan for the four years we have shared together. They have been unforgettable. I wish you, from the bottom of my heart, the best in your future, Juanito. A big hug!
In his defense, the other party regretted this ending: “I think we both would have liked another farewell. But I respect your decision and wish you the best.”. Later, Lebron gave an interview to the Spanish newspaper Brand: “I apologized to Ale (Galán) at the airport and told him if we could talk, but at that moment we both gave each other some space and one day after training I told him if I could talk to him… and Something has already happened that I would not have liked to happen. He called me and told me that he didn’t want to continue with me. I was caught off guard and surprised by the news, to be honest, but it is his decision and we have to respect it. It is a very personal thing for him.They won 33 titles together.
