Juan Lebrón Chincoa
Juan Lebrón Chincoa, known as Juan Lebrón, (January 30, 1995) is a Spanish professional padel player. He occupies the 7th position in the Premier Padel (The Padel tour) as of December 3rd, 2024.[1] Lebrón became the first Spanish player in history to become World Number 1, doing so in 2019 alongside Paquito Navarro.[2]
Padel career
[edit]Juan Lebrón was introduced to padel through his father, who played it with his friends. Lebrón became Spain’s junior padel champion several times and competed in the Junior World Cup.[3] He was the youngest Absolute Champion in Spain and won every match in the minor’s division. At the age of 17, he left El Puerto de Santa Maria and moved to Madrid to play padel professionally.[3]
Professional career
[edit]Lebrón’s professional career began in 2015, when he paired up with Paquito Navarro, but his adult career only started to kick off in December 2016, when he and his new partner, Gabriel Reca, reached top 30 in the world.[3]
In March 2017, he started the season with Marcello Jardim and finished it with Adrián Allemandi, finishing in 19th place. The same year he signed a contract with Bablot to pursue his career as a professional.[3]
In 2018, Lebrón started his season with Juan Cruz Belluati. In the first tournament of the season, the Catalunya Masters, they reached their first final as a couple after beating the number 1 ranked couple, Fernando Belasteguín and Pablo Lima, in the semifinals. In the final, Sanyo Gutiérrez and Maxi Sánchez fell 6-4 and 6-2. Juan Martín Díaz became his partner until the end of the year.[3]
In 2019, Paquito Navarro became his new partner.[1] In their first tournament of the season, the Marbella Master, the Andalusians reached the final, where they fell against the world number 1 in 2018, Maxi Sánchez and Sanyo Gutiérrez, 6-1 and 7-6.[4] Andalusia is the southernmost autonomous region in Spain. Following their loss in the Marbella Master, Lebrón and his Navarro won five tournaments in Alicante, Jaén, Valladolid, Bastad, and São Paulo.[3] After qualifying for the final, Juan Lebrón became the first Spanish native World Number 1 in the history of the World Padel Tour.[3] Paquito and Lebron secured the number 1 spot at the end of the season after reaching the final of the Mexican Open. In the final, they lost to Sánchez and Gutiérrez 7-6 and 6-2.
Despite all of their wins, Lebrón and Paquito decided to separate. He changed partners at the end of the tournament to join Alejandro Galán. Together they remained the World's Number 1 pairing for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, 2022).[1] After four years together, Lebron and Galán announced their separation.[5] He now plays on the backhand side with Martín Di Nenno and as of 2024, they are the third-best pairing in the world.
Influence
[edit]Lebrón's success has significantly contributed to the growing popularity of padel.[3] His presence as the only Spanish player to reach World Number 1 has made him a role model for aspiring players and racquet sports enthusiasts worldwide.[6] Lebrón is “credited with bringing innovative strategies and a higher level of athleticism to the sport, which will undoubtedly influence padel’s development for years to come.”[6]
Lebrón engages with fans and promotes the sport through platforms such as Instagram.[7]
Results
[edit]Premier Padel
[edit]Titles
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Category | Partner | Opponents in the final | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 29 May 2022 | Rome | Major | Alejandro Galan | 🇪🇸Paquito Navarro, 🇦🇷Martin Di Nenno | 4-6 / 7-5 / 6-4 |
2. | 17 July 2022 | Paris | Major | Alejandro Galan | 🇦🇷Juan Tello, 🇦🇷Federico Chingotto | 6-3 / 4-6 / 6-4 |
3. | 7 August 2022 | Madrid | P1 | Alejandro Galan | 🇪🇸Paquito Navarro, 🇦🇷Martin Di Nenno | 5-7 / 6-2 / 6-3 |
4. | 11 December 2022 | Milan | P1 | Alejandro Galan | 🇪🇸Victor Ruiz, 🇧🇷Lucas Bergamini | 6-2 / 6-2 |
5. | 10 December 2023 | Milan | P1 | Alejandro Galan | 🇦🇷Martin Di Nenno, 🇦🇷Franco Stupaczuk | 7-6 / 6-7 / 7-6 |
6. | 2 March 2024 | Riyadh | P1 | Alejandro Galan | 🇦🇷Augustin Tapia, 🇪🇸Arturo Coello | 6-7 / 6-4 / 6-4 |
7. | 4 August 2024 | Finland | P2 | Martin Di Nenno | 🇪🇸Coki Nieto, 🇪🇸Jon Sanz | 7-5 / 6-3 |
Finals
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Category | Partner | Opponents in the final | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 3 April 2022 | Doha | Major | 🇪🇸Alejandro Galan | 🇦🇷Martin Di Nenno, 🇪🇸Paquito Navarro | 3-6 / 6-7 (4) |
2. | 30 October 2022 | Giza | P1 | 🇪🇸Alejandro Galan | 🇧🇷Pablo Lima, 🇦🇷Franco Stupaczuk | 6-2 / 6-7 (4) / 6-7 (4) |
3. | 24 March 2024 | Acapulco | P1 | 🇪🇸Alejandro Galan | 🇪🇸Arturo Coello, 🇦🇷Agustin Tapia | 0-6 / 4-6 |
Premier Padel is considered the most important circuit in the world of professional padel since the beginning of 2024. It is governed by the International Padel Federation and is owned by Qatar Sports Investments.[8] It is the circuit that offers the largest economic prizes and brings together the most talented players. It has taken over from what was the leading circuit globally from 2013 to 2023: World Padel Tour and merged into a single global padel tour called The Premier Padel.
Premier Padel tournaments are split into three categories: the four Majors, the P1 and the P2 tournaments. The best couples will qualify for the Finals, the season-finale. The 4 majors, just like Grand Slams in tennis, are the most prestigious events on the tour. All the best players compete in these events hosted in Qatar (Doha, 26 March-3 April), Italy (Foro Italico in Rome, 21-29 May), France (Roland Garros in Paris, 9-17 July) and Mexico (Monterrey, 26 November-4 December).[9]
World Padel Tour (WPT)
[edit]Titles
[edit](All results come from Padelpedia, the official padel result tracker)[1]
The WPT (World Padel Tour) is divided into 4 categories of tournaments including Open, Major, Challenger, and Finals
Total WPT:
- Master Final Tournaments: 2
- Master Tournaments: 7
- Open Tournaments: 23
- Challenger Tournaments: 0
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Player Information". Padelpedia. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "Juan Lebron's journey: How has El Lobo become the best player in the world?". Esprit Padel Shop. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Truth About Juan Lebron Chincoa". Padel1969. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
- ^ Binisti, Franck (24 March 2019). "Sanchez / Sanyo wins the Master of Marbella". Padel Magazine. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ "Lebron and Galan go their separate ways - what happens now?". Padel Alto. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ a b Romero, Javier (22 April 2024). "Alejandro Galán & Juan Lebrón: Most dynamic padel duo timeline". Redbull. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ Lebrón, Juan (March 2016). "Juan Lebrón Chincoa". Instagram. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ Serna Sánchez, Joaquín (16 May 2024). "Premier Padel, World Padel Tour and A1 Padel: How Are They Different?". Zona Padel. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ "The Premier Padel tour explained". BNL Italy Major Premier Padel. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2024.