Interview Kalinikos Kreanga - on winning the European Top 12
“That is an unbelievable important success for me”
Photo by: Dr Stephan Roscher
Congratulations Mr Kreanga, nearly 39 years old and winning a title in a big tournament for the first time, that deserves respect. Did you still believe in it or did you see yourself as the permanent number two or three?
Kreanga: “Of course I always believed that winning such a title is possible. I won tournaments before, even if it wasn’t the WC, EC, World Cup or Europe Top 12. You always believe in your chances when you go to the table. The age is still not that important because my lifestyle is absolutely professional and I practice.”
Is it true that you complained about pains in your legs before the match against Ovtcharov on Saturday evening and that you were even contemplating for a short moment not to play in the quarterfinal?
“Yes and no. I had unpleasant pains in my muscles. Some kind of tension, which the physiotherapist from Belgium solved so that I could start one hundred per cent fit. I never really contemplated not playing.”
In the final you had to survive some critical moments, when Samsonov turned your advantage of 7:3 into a 7:9 for himself and was close to win the set. Or in the final set when again your advantage was melting away. Did that make you insecure?
“No, not at all. That is the most normal thing in the world, that players produce points in series. You must live with it and it might turn round already at the next moment. It was decisive though that I could use the fourth set for a 3:1 lead. If it had been 2:2 the whole match would probably have turned to Vladi’s favour.”
Did you prepare especially for the Europe Top 12?
“We have an intensive preparation camp with the national team behind us. This was the preparation for the Top 12 but also the preparation for the WC.”
What does this title mean to you?
“This is an immensely important success for me, because the Europe Top 12 is one of the most important and most traditional tournaments. But this success was very important considering my position on the World Ranking List, which I must improve, because I want to qualify directly via the ranking position for the Olympic Games in London.”
Interview taken from Copy from Butterfly-World click below
=557&tx_ttnews[backPid]=397&tx_ttnews[cn]=1&cHash=7df41fb7e7d98c4f2a5ac90768f93ab0]HERE
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“That is an unbelievable important success for me”
Photo by: Dr Stephan Roscher
Congratulations Mr Kreanga, nearly 39 years old and winning a title in a big tournament for the first time, that deserves respect. Did you still believe in it or did you see yourself as the permanent number two or three?
Kreanga: “Of course I always believed that winning such a title is possible. I won tournaments before, even if it wasn’t the WC, EC, World Cup or Europe Top 12. You always believe in your chances when you go to the table. The age is still not that important because my lifestyle is absolutely professional and I practice.”
Is it true that you complained about pains in your legs before the match against Ovtcharov on Saturday evening and that you were even contemplating for a short moment not to play in the quarterfinal?
“Yes and no. I had unpleasant pains in my muscles. Some kind of tension, which the physiotherapist from Belgium solved so that I could start one hundred per cent fit. I never really contemplated not playing.”
In the final you had to survive some critical moments, when Samsonov turned your advantage of 7:3 into a 7:9 for himself and was close to win the set. Or in the final set when again your advantage was melting away. Did that make you insecure?
“No, not at all. That is the most normal thing in the world, that players produce points in series. You must live with it and it might turn round already at the next moment. It was decisive though that I could use the fourth set for a 3:1 lead. If it had been 2:2 the whole match would probably have turned to Vladi’s favour.”
Did you prepare especially for the Europe Top 12?
“We have an intensive preparation camp with the national team behind us. This was the preparation for the Top 12 but also the preparation for the WC.”
What does this title mean to you?
“This is an immensely important success for me, because the Europe Top 12 is one of the most important and most traditional tournaments. But this success was very important considering my position on the World Ranking List, which I must improve, because I want to qualify directly via the ranking position for the Olympic Games in London.”
Interview taken from Copy from Butterfly-World click below
=557&tx_ttnews[backPid]=397&tx_ttnews[cn]=1&cHash=7df41fb7e7d98c4f2a5ac90768f93ab0]HERE
Click here for more TableTennisDaily Interview's
