16/04/2018 16:26
Sergey Tetyukhin - Love what you do and do what you love
News from the clubs
Belgorod, Russia, April 16, 2018. Volleyball legend Sergey Tetyukhin will retire at the end of the current season – but he already found a way to bid farewell to international Volleyball in the best way after last week he helped Belogorie BELGOROD claim the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup – Men trophy from the final match with Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA of Turkey. It is time to sit down with Sergey and to listen to what a real Volleyball legend has to share with his fans after an incredibly successful career lasting more than 20 years.
It has been a few years since you said that you would think whether to continue your career or not. You recently announced that this season is definitely the last one. How do you feel after making this announcement?
My feelings are normal. There is no any sorrow. Perhaps the number of the matches played exceeds such feelings. There is a certain fatigue but there is still no complete understanding that it is all over. The next stage of my life is coming, and I think it will be as interesting as the previous one. However, there is no feeling that everything is over in my life; there is no any fear of the future.
Your career was long and amazing. You celebrated many victories and successes. Which ones are the most remarkable for you?
The first and the greatest victories are always memorable. My first big victory was in 1994 at the Junior European Championship. That is how it all started. I still remember this victory; it will stay forever in my memory. Some years after that, I won the Russian championship with my club. Of course, above all stands the Olympic victory in London because it was not just my personal victory but also the victory of the whole country, of many people who had been waiting for it for many years. Surely, the last victory in the CEV Cup will remain in my mind too. It is a kind of positive final point in my career.
Have you experienced any moments when you had your hands down and you wanted to give up and quit?
It happened once. I had one moment in the 2013-2014 season when we won almost everything – CEV Champions League, Club World Championship, Russian Cup, and we lost only the Russian championship. After coming back home from the Club World Championship, I felt so tired, especially mentally. I was 100 per cent sure at that time that I wanted to end my career. It all came in one moment, and I did not plan anything. I came to the Sports Palace Cosmos to meet Gennady Shipulin without a prior arrangement. However, he was not in the office. I had to come back home, made some calls to my friends. One of them was Alexander Bogomolov, and he asked me whether I thought well about this decision. I thought everything over once again and the next morning I woke up with completely different feelings. I realised that I was close to making a mistake. I still had power and health to continue. Therefore, that was just a momentary thought.
That happened after victories. What about the moments when something went wrong?
It always happens when something goes wrong. It is a normal sportsman’s life. However, what is the difference with a good professional sportsman? A good professional sportsman draws certain conclusions and continues to move forward. You cannot be always perfect, and it is normal. You cannot achieve big results without it. That is the point of self-improvement that you are always critical to yourself, you always want to be better, no matter if you are 20 or 42. When you want to change yourself, it takes you to the next victory. However, you cannot avoid some defeats. This is the meaning of sports – you can win today and tomorrow, but the moment comes when you lose. Your future victories depend on how you come out of this situation, whether they come soon or will not come at all.
Just once during your career you played outside of Russia when you spent two seasons in Italy. Did you have any desire to play abroad afterwards?
No, never. The reason is the change of the situation in Russian sport. After I came back from Italy, the Russian championship became one of the strongest and most competitive in the world. I did not see any sense to go abroad. The chance to earn some money is not the main motivation for me. There are things that are important to me apart from the financial side of it. That is why I did not have any thoughts and did not attempt to play outside of Russia anymore, even though they invited me to different countries. We even went to Italy just because at that time the Italian championship was the strongest one in the world.
Soon you will start another life in a different way, not a player’s life. How can Volleyball help you?
I said that a sportsman is used to reach out for the goals he sets to himself. Therefore, I think that the determination you get from sport should help in the normal life as well. The training you get especially in the team sports is a positive element for your daily, ordinary life. In any case, you communicate with people, you are dependent on them to some extent, you help somebody and somebody helps you. Life in a group is the same, whether it is sports or everyday life. Of course, I will have to get used to a new way of life at the beginning. However, I have some ideas so that I can remain close to the sport. I have gained some experience during these years, including life experience. Sport became a drug for me in a good sense, and I cannot live without it already. It will be very difficult for me to redirect myself completely and leave sports. It is an inseparable part of my life.
Is there anything that you would like to do but you could not find time for it while being a player?
In fact, I always find some time to do things I am interested in along with Volleyball. Of course, my schedule not always allows me to do so. However, I have friends who are quick off the mark and we always organise various activities – it can be quad bike riding or playing airsoft. It is a kind of mental relaxation, which is necessary not only for a sportsman. From time to time, you need to divert yourself and dip into some other sphere. It is very useful and important, as it does not make sense to stick always with the same things.
Surely many of the players, especially young ones, want to resemble to you and reach the same achievements. What would you advise them to reach such an ambitious goal?
The main rule is you have to love what you do. This is the main rule for any activity. If your heart is in what you do, if you are ready to give your all to what you do, then you will get the proper result. We can talk about many things, which will be not as meaningful. However, for me this principle is the most important one. Love what you do and do what you love.
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