The Padel Pod

A scintillating Agustín Tapia and a ruthless Arturo Coello have no mercy for Alejandro Galán and Juan Lebrón, as they comfortably beat the Spanish pair in their last game together, and win Premier Padel’s windy and hot GNP Mexico P1; and Juan Lebrón continues to cause controversy, as he takes his playing top off in a provocative and defiant manner following his triumph against Javi Garrido and Mike Yanguas.

As expected, Juan Lebrón and Alejandro Galan’s separation causes a domino effect whereby multiple new partnerships are formed (awaiting an official confirmation); including Alejandro Galán & Federico Chingotto, Juan Lebrón & Paquito Navarro, Juan Tello and Fernando Belasteguín, Alejandro Ruiz & Momo González, and Sanyo Gutiérrez & Maxi Sánchez.

The padel world enters shock mode as Alejandro Galán decides to break up with Juan Lebrón following a heated argument between Lebrón, and Mike Yanguas, Javi Garrido and Juani Mieres, during their last 16 encounter at Premier Padel’s Doha Major; and Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello win their first tournament of the season after a superb week of dominant displays in Qatar’s capital.

Unboxing a remarkable week of play at Premier Padel’s Riyadh P1; as a reborn Juan Lebrón and a circa unplayable Alejandro Galán clinch the trophy by beating a very strong Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello in a nail biting final; whilst Nacho Sager and Salva Oria impress the world; and Paquito Navarro and Sanyo Gutiérrez disappoint on their return.

The first major tournament of the season, Premier Padel’s Riyadh P1, kicks off this week, and thus we discuss our hopes, expectations and predictions for the year; including who will end the season as the number 1 ranked pair; which top 10 pair will be the first to split; will any pairs beyond the “Big 3” win a tournament; who will be 2024’s most improved player; and more.

Sam Jones, Great Britain’s second highest ranked padel player, delves into his beginnings in padel; a summary of his 2023 season; his hopes and expectations for 2024; the current padel landscape in the UK, including what needs to happen for the sport to become one of the most popular in the country; and players’ brand sponsorships.

Pre-season steams ahead with the star-studded Reserve Cup, as investors including Richard Mille, Jimmy Butler and Daddy Yankee help put together the tournament’s successful first edition, hosted in Miami (USA); Team Miami, led by Franco Stupaczuk, Martín Di Nenno and Fede Chingotto, edge Ale Galán, Juan Lebrón and Jon Sanz’s Team Reserve following some impressive performances; and we discuss the debatable International Padel Federation’s (FIP) rankings.

Professional padel returns with the much awaited Hexagon Cup, as the AD/Vantage Team clinch the tournament’s first edition thanks to Juan Tello & Martín Di Nenno and Sofía Araujo & Delfina Brea winning the men’s and women’s finals respectively; the padel racket sponsor landscape sees significant changes, including Mike Yanguas signing with LOK, Javi Garrido joining Wilson, and Alejandra Alonso teaming up with Babolat; and Gemma Triay, surprisingly, decides to parts ways with Marta Ortega.

The second episode of 2024 welcomes Nacho Porto, padel coach and co-founder of the Finspadel Akatemia padel academy in Jyväskylä, Finland; and explores the growth, development and current landscape of padel in Finland, Nacho’s journey from being an engineer and consultant raised in El Puerto de Santa María (Spain) to running a leading padel academy in Finland, and his coaching philosophy.

Our first episode of the year interviews professional padel player David Fernández, ranked amongst the top 130 players in the world, and delves into a variety of topics, including his career thus far, his partnership with YouTube personality Manu Martín, insights such as what a typical day looks like for a professional padel player or the importance of physical training, and the hottest young prospects in padel today.