The Premier Padel P2 tournament in Valladolid saw a spectacular confront between Juan Lebron and Franco Stupaczuk that started out as a promising encounter. A heated argument on the bench overshadowed the pair’s momentum after they defeated Javi Garrido and Diego Gil in a tight tiebreak to win the opening set.
When Lebron, who was clearly upset, chastised Stupaczuk for a missed shot, his partner reacted angrily. Stupa slammed his racket on the ground and hurried away, yelling, “You’re playing for the other team, man.” When Carlos Pozzoni, their coach, intervened to mediate, the scene worsened. He admonished Lebron, “Slow down, you’re acting crazy,” but Lebron persisted in his argument. “You need to come down from this, you’re out of control,” Pozzoni continued in an attempt to regain order.
The altercation, which was captured on camera, immediately caused a stir in the padel community and brought attention to the intense emotions that may boil beneath the surface of competitive elites. The team’s attention is now on whether they can reorganize and continue to perform well in the final phases of the tournament, despite the internal strife.
They ultimately prevailed in the match, but Lebron has significant problems with one of his partners once more.
Here is the video.