Artyom Fedorov: Our major rivals are ourselves 08.07.2010

One of the representatives of the Far East beach volleyball tandem Artyom Fedorov in his interview to kazan2013.com estimated his team’s performance in the European Championship and predicted who will crown the World Cup 2010.

-Artyom, what are your expectations from the European Championship and were your suppositions confirmed at this stage?
- I think that for each sportsman who arrived in Kazan the main goal is to top the Old World Championship. That’s why we had only an attitude for victory. We expected that the pool play would have 8 teams but here the main draw involves 12. That’s why to advance to the final round we’ll have to play one match more. I think that in pool plays we didn’t do our best. Weariness of the previous competition affected us. One dauy of rest and we posted a confident win. We hope that next matches will be successful as well. At the moment we can say that we’ve achieved our immediate goal. Our coach hopes that we can place sixth, it’s a good place for the tournament of such level but I want to finish fourth at least. God grant his expectations come true.

- Did you adapt to Kazan?
- Thanks to the Russian Championship I acclimatized two weeks ago. My partner arrived in Kazan even earlier. I think our performance in the national tour was successful, we advanced to the final part of the tournament. So we entered the Championship with a good attitude.

- How well-coordinated is your team?
- We haven’t almost played with Leonid together. We represent the same club but as a rule we are in different pairs. Last time we played together was during the Russian Universiade and we haven’t played since. This fact had an impact on our performance in the pool plays. At present we got accustomed to each other. But on the whole lack of team chemistry affected our play of course. There are moments when we don’t understand who is to receive the ball.

Artyom Fedorov attacking

- To your mind who is the strongest rival at the Championship?
- The Polish teams are quite strong. The German team is OK. But in fact our major rivals are ourselves. It’s not the competing team that we struggle with but ourselves. We are aware that we can place first. The most important thing is to sense and accept it.

- Do you admit that you are in an ideal physical condition at the moment?
- I played at the Russian Championship with fever. So I cannot say that I was in an ideal physical condition. Before the illness my condition was rather good, I’m getting in shape now. I hope that on the final day of the Championship I will be in my usual form.

- How popular is beach volleyball in Vladivostok?
- Vladivostok citizens like beach volleyball. There are enthusiastic businessmen who organize tournaments. There are amateur players who bring their own nets and organize a training session. I think that Vladivostok is one of those Russian cities where beach volley is quite popular.

– Do you believe in any omens or have your own superstitious beliefs?
- I have an amulet that I always keep with me, it’s a sweet-bag I’ve brought from Jerusalem. Before competitions we usually go to the church, light a candle for St Nicholas the Wonderworker. I believe that there is the force that may help us. The sportspeople are very superstitious. It’s a great mental support when you know that there is some spiritual power.

- What is your impression about Kazan after your two-week stay?
- The city is awesome. We have the same opinion with my partner. It’s a phenomenal combination of historical heritage and modern architecture. Seeing the Kremlin out of a train window and new modern buildings out of the opposite one I was struck by Kazan. I loved the city.

- Do you follow the World Cup 2010 and what team do you support?
- We try to follow. We watched a semi yesterday. I wanted the Spanish team to win and they won. It was my friend who woke me up to watch the match as I was exhausted at the end of the day. In the morning we were in high spirits when we played against the Swiss team. They are fans of the German team, I believe they were kind of disappointed by their defeat. So the Spanish national football team made a contribution to our victory over the Swiss players. We are looking forward to the World Cup final match that promises to be a fine play. I think that the Dutch national team deserves the Cup but there are other strong teams at the Championship.

Karina Karimova, special correspondent of press-center
VII European Universities Beach Volleyball Championship