{"id":14471,"date":"2026-05-08T22:01:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T20:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/entrevista\/a-great-interview-with-laura-lujan\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T22:01:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T20:01:30","slug":"a-great-interview-with-laura-lujan","status":"publish","type":"entrevista","link":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/entrevista\/a-great-interview-with-laura-lujan\/","title":{"rendered":"A Great Interview with Laura Luj\u00e1n"},"content":{"rendered":"

The racket lies next to a bottle of water whilst shouts of celebration ring out from the stands. Laura Luj\u00e1n<\/span><\/strong> (Seville, 2005) has just secured her place in the semi-finals of the FIP Silver tournament in Vila Real de Santo Ant\u00f3nio. At the age of 21, she divides her time between two arenas that demand the same precision: the padel courts and the medical school lecture theatres. In one, she is ranked 45th in the FIP world rankings; in the other, she is in her second year of her degree course. <\/p>\n

Her journey in the 20×10 format began as a family game during the summer holidays, but it soon became a calling. An Under-18 world champion<\/strong> in Paraguay (2023) and winner of five CUPRA FIP Tour titles in 2025,<\/strong> she has already added another FIP title to her tally this year in Norway.<\/strong> Her schedule alternates between the main Premier Padel circuit, the secondary CUPRA FIP Tour, and, when the opportunity arises, representing Spain<\/strong>, as she will do in July<\/strong> at the World University Championships<\/strong> in M\u00e1laga. <\/p>\n

In Portugal, we took the opportunity to chat to her about her goals, her profile as a player, the sacrifices required by professional padel, the economics of the circuit and the challenge of building a future both on and off the court.<\/p>\n

How did padel come into your life?<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been playing padel practically all my life. I started when I was three or four years old. My grandfather loved the sport, and there was a padel court on the beach where we used to spend our summers. I\u2019d join in and play with him, and everyone would say, \u2018That girl\u2019s got a knack for it; she\u2019s got what it takes.\u2019 So my parents decided to enrol me in padel lessons, and I really enjoyed it. And here we are. <\/p>\n

Did you feel right from the start that this was the sport for you?<\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is, I was more into football. But my parents would say to me: \u2018No, no, padel \u2013 we know you\u2019re really good at it.\u2019 And it\u2019s true that I love it, although I enjoyed both sports. But as I started competing at junior level, when I was about seven, I realised I was good at it and that I was enjoying it more and more. There came a point where, if it rained or I was ill and went a day or two without playing, I\u2019d be absolutely gutted. I just had to play padel. <\/p>\n

What does padel mean to you now?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s my life. After all, I\u2019ve been competing since I was very young and almost all my friends are from the world of padel, because we\u2019ve always been travelling and training together. So padel is my job, my day-to-day life, my circle of friends\u2026 everything. <\/p>\n

How did your family react when you decided to pursue a career in professional sport?<\/span><\/p>\n

My parents were always very clear that I had to start my university degree first. They told me: \u2018Get into university, and then, sure, you can do whatever you like.\u2019 The only thing they asked of me was that I passed my exams bit by bit, without rushing. So I played in the lower leagues until I got into university, and once I was studying, I started playing in the Premier Padel league. As long as I don\u2019t neglect my studies and keep working my way through my degree, my parents are happy. <\/p>\n

Speaking of your university studies, what exactly are you studying?<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m studying medicine and I\u2019m in my second year.<\/p>\n

A degree course that demands a lot of hard work and requires you to be on campus for your work placements. Do you prioritise your studies or padel, or do you try to strike a balance? <\/span><\/p>\n

Right now, my priority is padel. That said, if I see that there\u2019s a chance I could sit an exam because the dates work out, I\u2019ll study at home when I\u2019m not training, just in case the opportunity comes up suddenly. But, at the moment, padel is my priority. <\/p>\n

Do you receive any support from the faculty? <\/span><\/p>\n

Zero. I\u2019ve been lucky enough to come across a few lecturers \u2013 I think it\u2019s literally happened with three lecturers out of all the modules I\u2019m taking \u2013 who have actually helped me, in the sense of changing an exam date or, perhaps, letting me swap practical sessions with classmates so I could go straight to the one I was able to attend. But I\u2019ve had almost no support. In fact, I\u2019ve failed subjects because I haven\u2019t been able to attend practical sessions or because I simply wasn\u2019t allowed to change the date of an exam. <\/p>\n

Have you thought about what you want to do once you\u2019ve finished your medical degree?<\/span><\/p>\n

Personally, I\u2019m drawn to specialisms such as surgery or psychiatry. I like anything that involves action and movement. The idea of spending the whole day sitting in an office doesn\u2019t really appeal to me. <\/p>\n

Is your plan to finish your degree, pursue a career in padel whilst you can, and then practise as a doctor?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. Unless I do really well at padel and don\u2019t need to practise, although that\u2019s unlikely. <\/p>\n

Why are you so sure you need a Plan B?<\/span><\/p>\n

Because there are too many variables that could change everything. You could get injured, hit a rough patch, the tour could change \u2013 after all, dates keep changing, they might run out of money\u2026 \u2013 or players of a very high standard might emerge, causing you to suddenly drop down the rankings and not earn any money. I think there are so many things that could go wrong that it\u2019s good to have a plan B, just in case. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The path to professionalism<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re currently training in Seville. Do you intend to stay in Seville? <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, because I\u2019m studying for my degree there. I also live with my parents. I\u2019ve often thought about moving to Madrid, as many players do, but in the end I spend a lot of time travelling, and the players I\u2019d be training with there are the same ones I\u2019d then be competing against every week. And to be honest, it\u2019s not quite the same coming home to your parents\u2019 house after two weeks of competition as it is returning to a flat where you live on your own in Madrid or wherever. <\/p>\n

How did your routine change when you decided to pursue a professional career in padel?<\/span><\/p>\n

At first, nothing changed. As I didn\u2019t have enough points to qualify for Premier Padel, I started playing in FIP tournaments. I trained three days a week, didn\u2019t do any specific fitness training and didn\u2019t follow a particular diet. What\u2019s more, I was doing very well at university and passing all my modules with excellent marks. <\/p>\n

Until one day my coach asked me: \u2018What do you really want? To commit to padel or to focus on your career?\u2019 I replied that I wanted to commit to padel. He then told me that, if that was my goal, I\u2019d have to change a lot of things and take it much more seriously. And that\u2019s when I made the change: I started training morning and afternoon, found a fitness coach and began paying much more attention to my diet. <\/p>\n

At the moment, you\u2019re working with two coaches: Javi Pe\u00f1a and Pablo Mozo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes. In the mornings I train with Javi Pe\u00f1a at La Red 21, and in the afternoons with Pablo Mozo. I\u2019ve been training with Pablo practically all my life. I started with him when I was about 10 years old and we\u2019ve continued to work together, on a more personalised basis. He has his own courts and very few pupils; he selects the players he wants to work with. The truth is that he has another job and plays padel out of passion. <\/p>\n

In the case of La Red 21, do you represent that academy when you compete in a tournament? <\/span><\/p>\n

No, I don\u2019t represent any gym, and in fact, when people ask me about my training sessions, I always mention the coach\u2019s name rather than the gym\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Does training at a major academy bring any financial benefits to the players?<\/span><\/p>\n

Not directly. Perhaps the upside is that, as there are so many players, if you take the coach to tournaments, the costs are much lower. In the end, on the tour I took Javi on, it was just Victoria Iglesias and me; naturally, the costs were much higher than at academies such as Diagonal in Madrid, which has 50 players on its circuits. <\/p>\n

In a sport where you have to organise travel, training sessions, competitions and find funding\u2026 Do you have someone who manages your sporting career, or do you do it all yourself?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, I have an agent. Her name is Mar\u00eda Wakonigg. I started working with her because she\u2019s a friend of my coach, Pablo Mozo. When I won the Junior World Championships, Pablo told her about me. Although she mainly represented players on the professional circuit, as I wanted to break into the circuit myself, we started working together and have been doing so for about two or three years. <\/p>\n

The truth is, I\u2019m really happy. Above all, she helps me secure sponsorships; as she knows everyone, she introduces me to more people, more sponsors. Perhaps, if I tell her I\u2019m feeling a bit down because a certain player has written to me, she\u2019ll also give me advice about my teammates. And then, at some tournaments, she comes along with me too. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk a bit more about sponsors. Who are your current sponsors? <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sponsored by Joma, who are my main sponsor, and things are going really well for me. I\u2019m also sponsored by Apartamentos Playa del Duque in Marbella (a sponsorship deal secured by Mar\u00eda), and by Santify Nutrition, who provide me with sports supplements. <\/p>\n

How important are sponsors in a career like yours?<\/span><\/p>\n

A great deal. Ultimately, they form the foundation, because as the professional circuit depends on the results you achieve, you don\u2019t have a fixed monthly income. One month you might do really well, and the next you might do really badly. So sponsors provide that security to cover the cost of training and everything else. It\u2019s like having a basic salary that allows you to carry on. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A player\u2019s DNA and competitive strategy<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk a bit more about your profile as a player. How do you prepare for a professional tournament? <\/span><\/p>\n

The truth is, I always try to stick to the same routine. I hardly change a thing just because there\u2019s a major tournament coming up. I train in the same way, stick to the same diet and follow the same schedule, whether I\u2019m playing in a Premier Padel or a FIP event. <\/p>\n

Do you analyse your opponents before matches?<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem here is that the draw is announced far too late. For example, in Argentina I play on Tuesday or Wednesday, and the draw isn\u2019t announced until Sunday. That means we only have one or two days to prepare for our opponents, which makes it tricky. There\u2019s no time to practise specific plays because you don\u2019t even know who you\u2019re going to be playing against. It\u2019s a bit of a pain. <\/p>\n

At this FIP Silver event in Vila Real de Santo Ant\u00f3nio, you\u2019re sharing the court with Ana Catarina Nogueira. How did that opportunity come about? <\/span><\/p>\n

At the start of the season, she wrote to me asking if we could play together. At the time, I said no because I wanted to continue playing with Leticia Manquillo. We\u2019re the same age, we\u2019re really good friends, and we\u2019d been getting some great results. <\/p>\n

To be honest, Ana Catarina\u2019s invitation was a significant opportunity because she has a great deal of experience and is a seasoned professional, and it would have allowed us to enter the main draws straight away, but I preferred to stick with Let\u00edcia.<\/p>\n

Shortly afterwards, Leticia decided to change partners. So I wrote to \u2018Portu\u2019 again to tell her that I\u2019d been dumped and to ask if she was still looking for a partner. I told her I\u2019d be delighted to play with her\u2026 and here we are. <\/p>\n

What are your plans? How long are you going to play together? <\/span><\/p>\n

We decided to bring this project to an end after the tournament in Argentina.<\/p>\n

What happened?<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been given the chance to play alongside Araceli Mart\u00ednez, who\u2019s ranked 32nd, and that means a lot. She\u2019s younger, has far more ranking points, and I\u2019ve always really liked her as a player \u2013 because of her style of play and also as a person. I realised it was a great opportunity and, what\u2019s more, she\u2019d made it into the main draw, so I thought: \u2018I\u2019ve got to team up with her.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Speaking of partnerships, since you started competing in the FIP and Premier Padel tournaments in 2024, you\u2019ve already played alongside 11 different female players. How do you view this constant change of partners? <\/span><\/p>\n

I think I\u2019m a very easy team-mate. I always try to see the best in everyone and I like learning from my team-mates, so I adapt quickly to any player. Obviously, I\u2019d like to have a stable partnership with just one partner, but we know how the circuit works: if things aren\u2019t going well, you look for a change, or if an opportunity like this comes up, it\u2019s hard to say no. The other player understands that too, because, at the end of the day, you do it to develop on the circuit. So I think I adapt well and don\u2019t find it difficult to play with different types of players. <\/p>\n

Looking at your season so far, you\u2019ve played in more FIP tournaments than Premier Padel tournaments this year. Is that part of a strategy? <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, although it\u2019s also worth bearing in mind that there haven\u2019t been many Premier Padel tournaments this season. I think, so far, I\u2019ve only missed two Premier events, and both were P2 tournaments: the one in Gij\u00f3n and the one in Asunci\u00f3n, which is taking place right now. <\/p>\n

But, strategically speaking, going to Asunci\u00f3n now and then on to Argentina would mean being away for two weeks. If I were to lose in the first round, I\u2019d have to stay in Paraguay for the whole week waiting before heading to Argentina, and that would be very tough. <\/p>\n

But, as the dates coincided with the FIP Silver in Porto, after talking to Ana Catarina, we said: \u2018Come on, we\u2019ll have more time to train, we won\u2019t have to be away from home for so long, and we\u2019ll be playing in a FIP event.\u2019 What\u2019s more, for example, in Porto we reached the semi-finals and earned the same number of points as we would have if we\u2019d been knocked out in the first round in Asunci\u00f3n, but without having to spend six days on a break. <\/p>\n

It is therefore a question of strategy, but in every respect: not just for the points, but also for the money, and so on.<\/p>\n

Do you think the situation in the Middle East could affect the Premier Padel circuit?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, in fact, it\u2019s already having an impact. The Doha Major, which was the first of the year, ended up being cancelled. What\u2019s more, there have been changes to the calendar. For example, the Pretoria tournament has been upgraded from P2 to P1, and the Kuwait tournament \u2013 which is also home to the Rafa Nadal Academy \u2013 has been upgraded from P1 to a Major. So it does have an impact in the sense that we\u2019ve been deprived of a prize that, on top of everything else, was the main one. But, for the time being, the circuit has found solutions, and now we\u2019ll have to see what happens in the future and whether we\u2019ll eventually be able to compete there again as normal. <\/p>\n

If the situation were to become more complicated, would it be feasible for a player to focus solely on the FIP circuit?<\/span><\/p>\n

Honestly, no. You almost always lose money at FIP tournaments. Ultimately, in Premier Padel, if you\u2019re in the main draw, they cover everything apart from your flight, and you also get a fixed salary, so you usually come out ahead or, at worst, break even. Unless, for example, the cost of living in the town where the tournament is held is extremely high, but normally you tend to break even or come out ahead. <\/p>\n

However, with FIPs it\u2019s very difficult, unless you win the tournament and the hotel, meals and transport have worked out cheaply for you. At the end of the day, if it\u2019s about earning points and climbing the rankings, FIPs are brilliant, but not for making money. <\/p>\n

What do you think about the launch of the Pro Padel League?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a project that catches your eye, because it\u2019s a huge amount of money and you think, \u2018I\u2019m on\u2019. But I\u2019m very young and I\u2019ve got a long way to go. <\/p>\n

The PPL has a different system, based on clubs, with a fixed salary, which offers greater security. But I play on the Premier Tour not just for the money \u2014 which, obviously, I want to earn so I can make a living from padel \u2014 but because it\u2019s the main circuit. At the end of the day, if you want to make a name for yourself in professional padel, you have to be there. The PPL pays well, yes, but it\u2019s an American circuit and it\u2019s still in its infancy. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, we\u2019ve already seen cases like the A1 circuit: it seemed very solid, it was very lucrative\u2026 and then it disappeared. If something like that happens, you\u2019re left with just two Premier Padel points and have to start from scratch. That\u2019s why, at the moment, I prefer to stick with Premier Padel, and we\u2019ll have to see how the PPL develops over the coming years. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the past to the future<\/span><\/p>\n

What sacrifices have you had to make to get this far?<\/span><\/p>\n

Mainly, giving up a large part of my social life. Of course I have friends, but the usual sort of thing \u2013 going out for a weekend of partying or to a nightclub\u2026 I can\u2019t do that. Actually, I could, but I don\u2019t drink, I don\u2019t smoke, nothing; I just drink water. And when I come back from a competition, after a week or two away, all I want to do is lie on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, put on Netflix and relax. I really can\u2019t be bothered to get dressed up and go out. And of course, that means your circle of friends shrinks, as you\u2019d expect, although it also helps you see who\u2019s really there for you. <\/p>\n

Another significant sacrifice is time with my family. I see my parents because I live with them, and when tournaments are held very close to home, they usually come along with me. But I only see my uncles, aunts and cousins at Christmas and not much else. I\u2019ve missed weddings, christenings and other important family celebrations because they clashed with competitions. <\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s university. After training all day, the last thing you feel like doing is sitting down to study, but you\u2019ve got to do it. It\u2019s got to be worth it, hasn\u2019t it? <\/p>\n

What goals have you set yourself for this year?<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than a specific position in the rankings, my main aim is to establish myself in the main draws. In other words, to be able to qualify for the main draw and not have to worry every week about whether I have enough points, or whether I\u2019ll be in the qualifiers or the main draw\u2026 That gives me much greater peace of mind. <\/p>\n

The Mediterranean Games are taking place in August. Have you had any calls? <\/span><\/p>\n

No, not yet.<\/p>\n

Would you like to be invited?<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course I will. This summer I\u2019m going to represent Spain at the World University Championships, which is already a huge source of pride. Only two pairs compete at the Mediterranean Games, so it\u2019ll be tough because the highest-ranked players will be there first. But, of course, if that opportunity ever comes along, it would be an honour. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Laura Luj\u00e1n: \u201cMy main aim is to establish myself in the first team\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14470,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"clasificacion":[],"class_list":["post-14471","entrevista","type-entrevista","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entrevista\/14471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entrevista"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/entrevista"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entrevista\/14471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14471"},{"taxonomy":"clasificacion","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/padelinformacion.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/clasificacion?post=14471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}