by Simon Daish
Forced to withdraw from the Mixed Doubles competition at the opening ITTF World Tour event of the year in Budapest, Sofia Polcanova carries some remnants of that injury heading into the Europe Top 16 Cup but still believes she is well placed to go far in Montreux.
“I don’t feel perfect, because I am still handicapped with my shoulder. I had to quit at the Hungarian Open in the mixed [doubles] quarter-finals. I hope to regenerate in the next days. But as possible, I want to play my best table tennis. I want to be free in my mind and get as far as possible. If I am fine, I can also win!” Sofia Polcanova
Polcanova will make her fourth consecutive appearance at the Europe Top 16 when she takes to the table next week – finishing an impressive fifth on her debut in 2016, Polcanova could only muster ninth in 2017 but last year in Montreux there was an improvement with the Austrian reaching the quarter-finals.
Despite being named at the head of the seeding list Polcanova isn’t feeling any added pressure, on the contrary she is honoured to lead the way ahead of an array of European talent.
“I don’t feel a special pressure, I was also seeded first at the European Championships and won three medals. It is an honour to lead the table in front of many great players. In Montreux, there will be the best 16 European players – everyone has the power to win that competition, so it will be a great challenge.” Sofia Polcanova
Producing a solid display last year in Montreux for very different reasons Switzerland is a country that holds a special place in Polcanova’s heart after she got engaged to her now fiancé in the Swiss Alps!
“It was a good experience last year. I like the atmosphere and I reached the quarter-finals. I love Switzerland, spent my holidays in Lausanne and also came back to Montreux. In addition, in the Swiss Alps my friend asked me if I would like to marry him. We got engaged at 3000 meters above sea level!” Sofia Polcanova
The ITTF would like to thank Sofia Polcanova for taking the time to speak to us.
