The year of the padel revolution has opened with a big bang. Tapia-Coello beat Lebron-Galan in the final and conquer the first title of the season, the youngest ever to do so: is this the prelude to the fall of the giants? It’s too early to tell, but this first release shows that in 2023 the balance will no longer be the same. The superiority of the number ones has taken a jolt and the margin with the challengers is as thin as we have not seen in a long time.
I like big fat ones like you because when they fall they make so much noise.
(The good, the bad and the ugly)
– Let’s face it right away, Abu Dhabi was a complicated tournament from a technical point of view of the game. In addition to the mental uncertainties due to being the first tournament of the season, the climatic conditions have made it even more full of unknowns: strong wind, damp glass, heat suffocating. What we saw was a “dirty” padel, played in the open air, which as is known makes the game more tactical and mangy, first of all for the lobs conditioned by the wind. The hype for the debut of the new couples in 2023 was very high and the quality of the matches confirmed it. Too bad about the atmosphere: except the ubiquitous ones white-robed sheikhs in the grandstand, semi-empty stands even in the first semi-final, perhaps due to the heat of the day;
– Tapia and Coello arrive in the final with a clear path (except for a difficult first round) against almost anonymous couples. The final won with Galan and Lebron instead is a demonstration of great maturity from the point of view of technical choices and the level of readings of the game: Tapia and Coello know how to beat the number ones. In both there is patience in working the point (that “extra” bandeja or lob, to keep the offensive pressure high without risking too much), but also a courage intelligent being defined, especially in important moments: typical of champions. Instead, what risked affecting the result is the mental management of the two very young players. Five set points missed in the first set, the comeback suffered at 5-3 in the first set and again from 5-1 ahead in the tie-break: the light goes out and on a little too often and if it weren’t for an unusually foul and not very cynical Lebron-Galan couple, perhaps the result would have been reversed. The great show offered remains, an atypical (but fun) final due to the weather conditions and the youngest duo to win a WPT title;
– Not only Tapia and Coello, but also the very strong ones Superpibes, aka Stupaczuk e Di Nenno. In the semifinals, the Argentines gave the first push to the certainties of Galan-Lebron, who in the end narrowly won, in a game similar to the final in some ways, except for the result. If “solidity” means knowing how to keep the level high for a long time without making mistakes, then Stupa and Di Nenno are already a very clear reality. With free errors at a minimum, the game is never given away. What was missing against the number ones is perhaps the same awareness of Tapia and Coello, who seemed more accustomed to playing matches that count, as well as fresh from their studies at the court of of the venerable teacher Sanyo from Belasteguin. At the next Royal-Rumble;
– We come to Lebron and Galan. They arrived at the final match exhausted, something they are usually not used to. Already in the first round they had risked the patatrac against the incredulous Gil and Moyano (who in fact let her get away). Then another set lost on the street with Yanguas-Arroyo and the very tough semifinal match, won boxistically speaking “on pointsagainst the Superpibes. The defeat in the final came after having scraped the barrel of experience in previous matches, with the feeling of a very strong couple but a little unloadedpowered by claw and cans of Red Bull. Significant. Perhaps the mental fatigue of dominate for several seasons streak without errors may not have been absorbed by the simple winter break. It is necessary to recharge the mental batteries and recalibrate the shot according to the new scenario of couples. It can also mean find new motivations. The season is long, and their hunger for victories will certainly not have abated. But now they have real contenders;
– Mention of demerit for Paquito Navarro. Confirmed his intention to play right, what was expected after the pre-temporada was the consolidation of right-wing automatisms, or at least a more mature understanding with Tello from that point of view. It seems to be missing today. In the first round match, lost with Rico and Rubio (surprise of the tournament, reached the semi-final using a good scoreboard), it showed an apathetic Paquitonever really insidious and with a tendency to occupy the central part of the field instead of leaving it at the vibora by Tello. Maybe it’s just an unfortunate first outing, but if the Sevillian wants to make a difference in that role, he’ll have to adapt his mind set to patience and, why not, a pinch of humility more. After all, it must be clear to him: the possibility of doing his thing one-man-showfrom the right, is certainly reduced.