NEW YEAR’S INTERVIEW: Atanasijevic – “I still don’t know where I will continue my career”

Bata

Everyone who follows the Italian volleyball and Sir Safety Perugia knows that Aleksandar Atanasijevic is one of the most famous players on the team. He came to the “Block Devils” in 2013 and his contract will expire in the spring.

In the last five seasons with the club, he played 155 matches and won 2,922 points (2,694 in Serie A1 and 228 in Italian Cup). Check his stats here.

Perugia finished the first part of the season at the top position:

“Three months have passed since the beginning of the season, and if someone offered us to be at this position at that moment, we would certainly accept it. We won one trophy, we are the first in our Champions League pool, the first in the Italian championship; it’s more than the perfect end of 2017” said Atanasijevic.

What would be Perugia’s greatest success this year?

“For sure to win the Scudetto. Everything is going well for now. The most important thing is to continue in this rhythm because we are aware that the worst period is behind us.”

How real is for Perugia to win the Scudetto this season? 

“The only real thing is to do our best in each game because we have really very strong opponents. We have a lot more to do to play against the strongest teams. I think that teams like Civitanova and Modena are in a mild advantage, but we’ll do our best to win trophies and to make our fans happy.“

What chance would Perugia have, if they played the 2017 FIVB Club World Championship?

“We watched the Club World Championship, and it is certain that we would like to go there one day. We have a lot of work to do only to become a part of that competition, but I think we have great chances to make progress in the future. I don’t like to think about ‘what would be if’ but I must say that really strong teams were there.”

Do you think that Zenit are really unbeatable?

“Zenit have shown many times that there is a big difference between them and other teams in the world. We saw in last year’s final of the Champions League how hard was to play them as they keep a very high rhythm throughout the whole match. We hope we can get closer to them in the future.”

The rumor was in the last few weeks that you might leave the club. Is there any truth in that?

“The media always write the bombastic news when they know that someone’s contract will expire like mine will.”

Would you like to play somewhere else besides Italy?

“I feel wonderful in Italy. Perugia is a club with incredible fans, maybe the best in the world. They are always with the team. I like to play in front of the full gymnasium so I enjoy each match. I didn’t think of where I could continue my career since this is my last year of the contract in Perugia. The most important thing is that the season is going well, so when the time comes, I will then think about those things.” In WoV database you can find and watch some of his matches.

In 2017, Serbia have missed a chance to win the European gold. Do you expect a better result in the 2018 FIVB World Championship?

“I think we have a great team, the Serbian Volleyball Federation is constantly with the players and there is a good atmosphere in the team. When this is a situation, it’s easy to play and fight for the highest place on the podium.”

There are some rumors that you have a new girlfriend and that she is a volleyball player?

“Yes, it is. You know everything. It’s something beautiful and we understand each other, which is the most important. We have celebrated the New Year Eve together in Florence and then she returned to Kazan.“

Your message to all WoV friends and readers?

“I would like to wish you a happy New Year, good health for all your fans and their families, but also to continue to read exclusive news on WorldofVolley.”

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