Local star Raul Mesa eager to play at the Spanish Masters
It is always special to play in front of your home fans. As you know the location, the conditions, the fans, basically everything, you are in the right mood to capitalize on that home court advantage. Spanish teams have not been able to benefit from all that so far in the history of the NESTEA European Championship Tour, even last year as Spain hosted the European Championship final in Valencia. Spanish teams have enjoyed their greatest achievements abroad, i.e. Javier Bosma and Pablo Herrera won a prestigious silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004. One year later Herrera and new partner Raul Mesa took the European Championship title in Moscow. Now the Spanish duo has got the chance to delight the local fans at the Spanish Masters, which is going to kick-off next Thursday on Grand Canary and will serve as the first leg of the 2008 NESTEA European Championship Tour.
Raul Mesa granted an interview to GSM, CEV’s promoter for the European Beach Volleyball Tour, and revealed he feels time is ripe for succeeding in that purpose.
How did your training program go last winter?
My partner Pablo (Herrera) was forced to miss the beginning of our training camp because of an ankle surgery. But we have been working together consistently and diligently since last November and we made up for the time we lost.
Many European teams spend winter in Brazil or Australia because of the better training conditions they can enjoy there. Is that true also for Spanish beach volleyball players?
We never had to travel that far. The weather in Spain is always good enough to allow us to stay here, especially in Tenerife.
You finished 13th at the kick-off event of the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour, which was staged in Adelaide. Are you happy with your start for this season?
If you consider whom we played against, the result is ok. We defeated the defending European champions, Doppler/Gartmayer from Austria, and the fifth-seeded German duo Reckermann/Urbatzka. We were eliminated by Brazil’s Marcio Araujo/Fabio and they are not exactly the worst team among those entering the World Tour. All in all we left Australia with a very good feeling concerning our prospects for the rest of the season.
Will that be enough to finally get back on the road to a further success within the frame of the NESTEA European Championship Tour?
We definitely hope so. The time is ripe for success. After taking the European crown in 2005, we have not played according to our full potential. Our goal is to finally step onto the podium once again.
Has there ever been such a high-class and lucrative tournament than the Spanish Masters here on Grand Canary? You are among a bunch of top teams which are going to fight for a 100,000 € prize money…
No, and that’s why we are so looking forward to that. The Playa del Ingles beach means fun, parties and good weather and that makes it one of the best locations to play and organize a tournament of the European Tour.
Who are your personal favorites for the title?
As this is the first tournament of the European season, any prognosis is very difficult. The German and Swiss teams are always very dangerous and highly competitive. But this is beach volleyball and anything may happen.
The schedule of the upcoming Spanish Masters sounds as follows:
Wednesday, 16 April:
Country Quota Play-Off Men/Women
Thursday, 17 April:
Qualification tournament Men/Women (Start: 8 a.m.)
Friday, 18 April:
Main Draw Men/Women (Start: 9 a.m.)
Saturday, 19 April:
Main Draw Men/Women (Start: 9 a.m.)
Semi-Finals Women (Start: 3 p.m.)
Semi-Finals Men (Start: 5 p.m.)
Sunday, 20 April:
Medal Matches Women (Start: 11 a.m.)
Medal Matches Men (Start: 1 p.m.)
|