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Alejandra Salazar hopes to win one more World Cup before retiring
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Sports

Alejandra Salazar hopes to win one more World Cup before retiring

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency New plan
  • Alejandra Salazar, the most decorated player in padel history, plans to retire at the end of the season after 26 years of competition.
  • The 40-year-old Spaniard has won seven world titles, reached No. 1 in the rankings and holds the World Padel Tour record with 52 titles.
  • Salazar hopes to compete for Spain at the World Cup in Qatar in November and end her career with another championship.

Alejandra Salazar will leave competitive padel at the end of the season, but the sport’s most decorated player still has one final ambition: winning another World Cup with Spain.

I would like to win the World Cup to close my career.

— Alejandra SalazarSalazar identified another World Cup title as her preferred final achievement.

Salazar, 40, will receive a tribute on Sunday during the final day of the Madrid Premier Padel tournament. The event began Tuesday at the Movistar Arena in her hometown, giving her a farewell in front of a local audience.

Her record includes seven world titles, periods as the world’s No. 1 player between 2009 and 2022, and 52 World Padel Tour titles, the competition that preceded Premier Padel. She currently ranks 13th.

I am very grateful to still be here, to be able to decide for myself, as an athlete, when I retire, and not have an injury or illness retire me.

— Alejandra SalazarShe reflected on choosing the timing of her retirement.

Salazar acknowledged that winning in Madrid would be difficult. She said more realistic goals included reaching the Barcelona finals in December, where the top 16 pairs compete, and playing at the World Cup in Qatar in early November. If she had to choose between the two, she said she would choose another World Cup victory to close her career.

Representing your country is the most beautiful thing.

— Alejandra SalazarShe explained why she would choose the World Cup over the Barcelona finals.

The Madrid tournament has brought her a mixture of calm and anticipation. Salazar said she wanted to step onto the court, show her best form and enjoy the occasion. She described padel as her way of life and said she would carry everything she had experienced as a treasure. She also said she preferred not to imagine the tribute too closely because accepting that it marks her farewell to Madrid would be emotionally exhausting.

Padel has been my way of life.

— Alejandra SalazarSalazar described the role the sport has played throughout her career.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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