Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan are Splitting up. All the Reasons behind the Breakup
Bombshell news has suddenly turned Padel fans upside down: Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan have parted ways.
Already last night the rumor had started circulating through the main online padel portals and only the officialdom was awaited, which came just this morning via an Instagram post by Alejandro Galan: "I want to tell you that I decided to separate from Juan. It was not an easy decision, but it was very well thought out. I want to thank Juan for the four years we shared. They have been unforgettable. I wish you all the best in your future Juanito. A big hug!"
As you can read it was Galan himself who made this decision, which in all likelihood came in the wake of the chaos involving his now-former partner Lebron during the match against Yanguas and Garrido.
But let's rewind the tape and analyze what happened for those who missed it:
We are in the round of 16, of the Doha Premier Padel, on the court Lebron and Galan, fresh winners of the first tournament of the season in Riyadh, face the pair Yanguas and Garrido and after two balanced sets already characterized by some minor controversy, with Yanguas playing with Lebron's nerves, the third and decisive set is played.
The match heats up further until the 3-all tie, when after an error that hands the break to the Yanguas-Garrido pair, Lebron forcefully hurls a ball that nearly hits Yanguas in the face. From here on, it was chaos. In the change of court, the coach of Yanguas and Garrido goes towards Lebron and a brawl is near. Thus, amid insults and a heated exchange of words between the two, nervousness is sky-high. A nervousness that will have the worst of it on the very Lebron-Galan pair who, surprisingly, exit the tournament.
After a few hours, comes Lebron's apology to the two opponents, their coach, and the public, stressing that, what happened, should never be seen on a padel court. Then silence, until the indiscretion emerged last night about the couple's separation and official confirmation this morning.
Needless to say, the news has turned padel fans around the world upside down, and the sorrow emerging from the posts and comments on social media is palpable for what has been the most successful couple ever in the last 3-4 years with no less than 33 titles on their Palmares.
It must also be said, however, that this denouement was, by many accounts, rather predictable. From what emerges, disagreements between the two Spaniards had begun as early as last year, when in what was their most difficult season, results were struggling to come through. In particular, it seems that the Spanish pair's defeats were often seasoned by Lebron's rather insolent attitudes, which, increasingly frequent, were disliked by his partner.
Then, the turning point: despite rumors of their possible separation, The Galacticos returned to prominence in the season finale and racked up a series of victories that breathed new life into the duo, so much so that despite rumors of an alleged separation, the pair decided to stay together for 2024.
The two got off to a great start and lifted the trophy in Ryad, foreshadowing another year of domination but the excitement lasted short, too short and no one would have imagined that the one played three days ago would be their last match together.
It was probably too much for Galan, however, and his teammate's diatribe against Yanguas and Garrido was the straw that broke the camel's back, yet another bitter pill to swallow that inevitably brought back memories of past disagreements as well. Thus came Galan's choice, like a bolt from the blue: to separate from the partner with whom he wrote Padel's history and to face new challenges ahead with a new partner.
And in this sense, another confirmation came this morning. Galan will partner with Federico Chingotto, his betrothed in December when there was already talk of an imminent separation between the Galacticos. Chingo had started the season alongside Momo Gonzalez and he took it upon himself to thank him in a post on Instagram, calling their adventure short but intense!
Still unknown, however, is Juan Lebron's future partner, although the most credited name would seem to be Juan Tello.
We will see, then, what happens in the coming hours, what is certain is that the Lebron-Galan duo has the undeniable merit of having been among the most beloved ever in the sport, in a historical moment that has coincided with the increasingly exponential growth of padel globally.
The numbers speak for themselves: 3 consecutive years at the number one position on the World Padel Tour and 33 trophies lifted. That's enough to be permanently in the history of the sport.
