Technique and strategy: the style of play of the four pairs contending for the Rome title

First Paquito Navarro and Martin Di Nenno against Federico Chingotto and Juan Tello; then Ale Galan and Juan Lebron against Fernando Belasteguin and Arturo Coello. These are the semifinals of the Italy Major Premier Padel tournament, with four of the very top pairs in the world stepping into the cage. Here is their way of playing the game.

ALE GALAN AND JUAN LEBRON

These two players are revolutionizing high-level Padel, enhancing the game’s physicality and explosiveness in a way that was previously unseen. When they are on court, there really is no right-side or left-side player, because they can both be dangerous from every angle and with every shot. The class of 1996, Madrid-born Galan goes for the backhand, the class of 1995, El Puerto de Santa Maria (Cadiz)-born Lebron goes for the drive, but they could easily reverse their roles in the match, with little chance of the outcome changing.

They cover the net like no other pair, and when they play 100% they are the only players who give the impression of having no weaknesses, because their tactical plan is only aimed at opening up the court just enough to hurt their opponents with overhead shots. When there is a need to think and suffer, they are equally effective, thanks to their superior-level athletes’ hands and physiques. Since they began playing together in 2020 no pair has won as much as them.

PAQUITO NAVARRO AND MARTIN DI NENNO

The former is pure entertainment, personality, explosiveness, charisma, class. The latter is everything else: fast legs, extreme solidity and substance. Together, they are a pair who has made enormous progress in 2021, playing the perfect mix of attack and defense. Argentine Di Nenno piles on the patience to build the game, to run for impossible balls and to keep opponents away from the net one bandeja after the next; on the other hand, any chance Spaniard Navarro gets he totally blasts the ball.

When it bounces off Navarro’s racket, the ball makes a different noise: it’s sharper and louder, thanks to his power, but also to his exceptionally clean style which, added to the many magical moments with which he has gifted YouTube in recent years, make him the most popular player in  the world. He manages to draw spectators in like no-one can, to switch on in a second and become unplayable. When Di Nenno also shows his aggression, very few players are able to keep up.

FEDERICO CHINGOTTO AND JUAN TELLO

Other pairs may at times experience a conflict or two, but not them. Never. Their roles are so well-defined - for reasons of a physical nature and from habit (they have been playing together since 2014) - that it is impossible for them to go for the same ball, or for neither of them to go. Chingotto is the best defender in Padel, his lob being his legacy and his determination that of a football midfielder of yesteryear. Their signature shot - using Ligabue's lyrics - was to recover footballs, Chingotto’s is to recover balls. It is impossible to steal a point if facing him at an ordinary human speed, because he is all over the place and always finds effective solutions, even in the most desperate situations.

Tello, on the other hand, is the powerful, explosive, modern half. He has to improve his defense skills, a limitation that sometimes becomes the pair’s only weakness and that the other big names always try to target. But on the high balls Tello is second to only a handful of others, thanks to his physical strength when it's his turn to push, but also thanks to his elevation when trying to return the opponents’ heavy hitting near the net, producing unreal body twists.

FERNANDO BELASTEGUIN AND ARTURO COELLO

Two completely different approaches in Padel, albeit in the same half of the court. The Argentine legend, class of 1979, symbolises today’s classic style of play: he pushes three balls per week, his IQ makes him the Einstein of Padel and every match of his is a masterclass in tactics, patience and the desire to remain competitive with a vintage flair, in a sport that has modified its structure in recent years, embracing a variety of styles by different players. But "Bela" has remained faithful to his own, and his decision continues to pay off, thanks also to his 23 years-his-junior partner Coello’s heavy hitting.

The mix is ??excellent, because Bela plays a slower padel from the left, while his left.handed partner does the exact opposite, trying to hit winners and shorten the rallies. At a certain level Coello still lacks some experience and sometimes it shows, especially when the ball is fast and hastiness replaces thoughtfulness. But it’s all part of being a 20 year-old: when risk is one’s staple diet a few naive shots here and there can be forgiven. Even if they are mostly the very thing that allows other top pairs to seize an opportunity.