On the circuit Premier PadelCertain sequences recur with almost mechanical regularity. Against a left-handed player capable of finishing with a smash — a typical profile  Gallant , or  Augsburgers  — the pair  Coello / Tapia  developed a precise, structured and deliberate tactical response.

A return to service that triggers everything

The sequence starts as soon as they return.

Tapia regularly chooses  a long lob online The objective is twofold:

  • prevent immediate initiative
  • trigger a coordinated escalation

In quick succession, Coello moves quickly to the net to close the angle, while Tapia follows his trajectory to take the offensive position.

This is not simply a defensive return:
it's a  instantaneous pressurization .

A pressure that forces a mistake or a risk

Once at the net, the reading becomes crystal clear for the opponent — and uncomfortable.

The player on the right (Lebrón, Chingotto, or equivalent) finds himself under pressure:

  •  Accelerate hard  to avoid the Coello block → high risk of error
  •  Playing at the feet  → Maximum precision required
  •  To undergo the exchange  → immediately lose the initiative

In this configuration, Coello is a central player:
its ability to  block and shear on the fly  transforms a neutral ball into a winning ball.

As a result, the opponent is often forced to overplay.

The variation: bandeja on Tapia

Some teams are trying to escape this trap with an alternative: playing a  bandeja along the line towards Tapia , right after his lob.

This option opens up another scenario:

  • If the ball is fast → Tapia lets it go and prepares a  petite 
  • if it is slower → Tapia can  block and regain the initiative  through the middle

Here we enter a game of reading and tempo, where Tapia excels.

System limits

However effective this tactic may be, it is not without flaws.

1. Vibora in the feet

When the opposing player on the right manages to play a low and precise vibora:

  • Coello's block becomes  neutral or even impossible 
  • the initial pressure disappears immediately

2. Coello's physical wear and tear

This scheme implies:

  • repeated runs to the net
  • explosive efforts on every return

Over the course of a match, this can:

  • to begin lucidity
  • slowing down travel
  • reduce net efficiency

3. The opponent's lob game

A clever adversary can exploit:

  • the depth in the diagonal of Coello (in the middle between Tapia and Coello) to push him back and break the dynamic
  • or a strong ball at the feet to use a neutral block volley which becomes an “easy” ball

This point is key:
If Coello backs down, the whole mechanism collapses.

A foundation… but not an end in itself.

As is often the case with world number ones, this sequence is not a fixed recipe, but a  adaptable base .

It depends heavily on:

  • playing conditions (fast or slow)
  • the quality of the opponent's smash
  • precision on the return

Coello and Tapia have already shown their ability to adjust these schemes during a match.

The real question, therefore, is not this tactic itself.
closest  the next evolution they will propose against opponents who adapt to it .

Antoine Tricolet

I discovered the Padel I stumbled into Spain at a campsite. I was instantly hooked; passionate about padel for the past three years, I follow international and regional news with the same excitement as the sport itself.

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