Alejandro Gálan Romo, better known as Ale Galán, was born in Madrid (Spain) on May 15, 1996. He started playing tennis at a young age, but quickly ventured into padel tennis. He quickly realized his potential and what he could achieve in this sport. He started competing in 2016 on the World Padel Tour with Juan Cruz Belluati. After a good season, followed by the separation between Matías Díaz and Maxi Sánchez, Galán joins Matías Díaz for the 2018 season.
After reaching some semi-finals, Galán finally won his first title in Valladolid against Maxi Sánchez and Sanyo Gutiérrez. Five tournaments later, he earned another win at the 2018 Lugo Open. For the 2019 season, he started playing with Juani Mieres, but then switched to Pablo Lima and added five more titles to his collection.
He also won the 2019 Estrella Damm Master Final, but then he started the 2020 season in the company of Juan Lebrón. The youngsters started the year very strong with victories in most of the tournaments and dictating a new style of fast padel game.
Alejando Galán Strengths
Athletic Ability: Alejandro Galán is physically fit and handles the passing game very well. He creates intense layups and very quickly recovers the net position. The spike is usually flat and returns high over the net. In defense he positions himself very low and quickly predicts the opponent’s shot. His reaction time and quick movements allow for many recoveries off the pitch or a final counterattack to the opponent’s spike. His vertical jump and height are also important factors when he recovers a smashing return over the net.
Forehand: As a backhand player, you typically cover half the court with your forehands down the court. He can quickly vary his hitting options because he comes from tennis. From a flat shot near the net to tiny topspin to incredibly angled lobes of attack, Galán is often comfortable defending or pressing with his right hand.
Drive volleys: Not many padel players use a powerful volley, but Alejandro Galán looks beyond adversity. After a few attacking volleys that put the opponent on the back wall, Galan likes to use a flat forehand volley. The shot is flat and hard so it creates a quick bounce off the wall out of reach of defensive players. Even the highest forehand volleys are backed up by a flat vibration parallel to the center of the opponent’s path.
Reflexes: One of his most iconic features is Galan’s quick reflexes around the net. He positions himself very low and generally blocks all attacking hits from opponents with a strong grip for his volley. Also, he creates unique volleys like behind the scenes or no-watch volleyball by predicting and preparing for such events in advance. Unusual self-confidence for someone his age.
Alejandro Galán Weaknesses
Alejandro Gálan Romo shows no weaknesses at the moment. He is not afraid to embrace padel with a fast-paced new style and he has the confidence to keep pushing beyond this galaxy. He is seen as one of the most competent players at the moment and can technically do anything.
His rapid rise in the WTP ranking shows how advanced Galán is in tactical terms. He maintains control of the attack and tries to go on the attack as quickly as possible. But strong shots and transition volleys don’t wait for Alejandro Galán to reach a comfortable position in line. He attempts to deflect play to his partner by playing his opponent down the line, who naturally returns a cross if Galan quickly finds the net and his pushing partner is further back on the court.
He looks like an invincible player
Ale Galán seems like a difficult player to beat. But, he can’t clone himself. In fact, we see a similar pattern in Juan Lebrón.
Now, despite the fact that the two joined forces for the 2020 season, the padel community and opponents have tried to find ways to overcome these youngsters. However, the only way opponents will find themselves free is by ‘freezing’ the Madrid native for a period of time.
Tactically, “freeze” is used when one of the players is taken out of the game, while the opponents choose to direct the flow of the game towards their partner only. By freezing Galán for a few points in a row, or finishing points on his side for unprovoked errors, Ale can lose his rhythm in no time. Getting back into the flow fast is more difficult than playing a controlled playstyle, so weaknesses and unprovoked mistakes can show up more often.
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