RUS M: Antipkin – I always admired Ricardo

– Remember the time when you found out you will play for the national team. Was it a shock?

– It was most surprising. It was a shock. I thought “I have to train a lot. “What to do with the holiday? What to do? What to do now?”(Laughs) I could not deal with all these thoughts for a week, not fully believed it and I did not know what would happen.

– How did you start playing volleyball?

– My parents are real fans of volleyball. They have never played professionally, but played on the amateur level. Any free time they spend on playing. I was first interested in basketball.

– Basketball?

– Yeah, I know it sounds strange. After third grade I had to decide, to engage in volleyball or remain in basketball. And when my parents told me that I have a better chance to achieve something in volleyball, I trusted them, and decided on volleyball. In fifth grade I went to “Olympus” on Vernadsky Prospekt, and that’s how it all began.

– Do you remember your first coach?

– Of course! My first coach – Mihail Mihailovich Konstantinovski, he trained me from the very beginning, from the 5th to the 11th grade, and a year after high school.

– You are in the national team for the first time. Do you know your teammates? Did you play in the junior teams?

– No. This is my first time with the national team. Of course, we say hello on the games, but we’re strangers. They are all great people and we’ve got a great team, I’m really happy, really!

– What is your favorite player?

– The player who I admired – Brazilian Ricardo. And indeed the whole Brazilian team: their fast style of play and constant Ricardo’s improvisation on the court – to me it looked fantastic. I watched trying to copy some moves and understand how to do better.

– And how do you spend your free time?

– Funny question, because there is almost no free time. In the morning we workout, come home and sleep – we often sleep during the day, without this we couldn’t take it. In the evenings, there is a couple of hours to get something done. I try to read something with my wife, to watch some movies, take a walk, go somewhere or go to a restaurant.I like to read to work out my mind.