Alejandro Gálan Romo, better known as Ale Galán, was born on May 15, 1996 in Madrid (Spain). He started playing tennis at a young age but soon dabbled in paddle tennis. He quickly realized his potential and what he could achieve in the sport. He started competing in the World Padel Tour in 2016 with Juan Cruz Belluati. Garland joined Matias Dias for the 2018 season after an outstanding season in which they separated from Maxi Sanchez.
After reaching the semi-finals, Garland eventually won his first title in Valladolid against Maxi Sanchez and Sanyo Gutierrez. Five matches later, he won again at the 2018 Lugo Open. For the 2019 season he started with Juani Mieres but switched to Pablo Lima and added 5 more titles to his collection.
He also won the 2019 Estrela Dame Masters final, but then he started the 2020 season in the company of Juan LeBlanc. The youngsters started the year very strongly, winning most of their matches and pioneering a new style of fast cricket.
Alejando Garland Strengths
Athletic ability: Alejandro Garland is healthy and passing the ball well. He created an intense layup and quickly regained his position at the net. The peaks are usually flat and the returns are high on the net. On defense, he plays very low and is quick to anticipate opponents’ shots. His reaction time and quick movements allow him to recover multiple times off the court, or to make a final counter to an opponent’s spike. His vertical jump and length are also important factors when he’s finishing some spectacular returns at the net.
Forehand: As a backhand player, you typically cover half the court with your forehand. He can change shot choices quickly because he comes from tennis. From near-net shots to tiny topspin shots to unbelievable angles, Garland can often defend or press with his right hand with ease.
Service volley: Not many cricketers use powerful volleys but Alejandro Galán looked above adversity. After a couple of attacking volleys knocked opponents into the back wall, Garland favored a flat forehand volley. The shot is flat and powerful so it bounces off the wall quickly and out of reach of defenders. Even the highest forehand volley is supported by a flat vibration parallel to the center of the opponent’s path.
reflection: One of Garland’s most iconic traits is his quick reflexes in front of the net. His stance is very low, and he usually blocks all the opponent’s attacks with a strong volley. Additionally, he creates unique volleys by anticipating and preparing for such events in advance, such as behind-the-scenes volleyball or unguarded volleyball. It was an uncharacteristic level of confidence for a man his age.
Weaknesses of Alejandro Garland
Alejandro Garland Romo is showing no weakness at the moment. He is not afraid to embrace padel with a fast-paced new style, and he has the confidence to constantly surpass this galaxy. He is considered one of the most capable players out there, technically he can do just about anything.
His meteoric rise in the WTP rankings shows Garland’s tactical sophistication. He maintains control of the offense and tries to get it going as quickly as possible. But strong shots and converted volleys didn’t wait for Alejandro Garland to get into a comfortable position. He tries to divert the game by confronting opponents on the baseline, and if Garland finds the net quickly and his putting partner is further back in the field, opponents will naturally return the pass.
He looks like an invincible player
Ale Galán appears to be a difficult player to beat. However, he cannot clone himself. In fact, we’ve seen a similar pattern with Juan LeBlanc.
Now, despite the pair joining forces for the 2020 season, the padel community and opponents are still trying to find a way to overcome these youngsters. However, the only way the opponents will find themselves free is to “freeze” the Madrid native for a while.
Tactically, Freeze is used when one of the players is taken out of the game and the opponent chooses to direct the flow of the game to their partner only. By freezing Garland for a few points in a row, or scoring on his team on unprovoked turnovers, Alley can quickly lose his rhythm. Getting back into the flow quickly is more difficult than playing a controlled playstyle, so weak spots and gratuitous errors are likely to occur more frequently.
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