Luxembourg, April 1, 2020. Taking a break from the sport of volleyball is not easy, especially when you are in the midst of promising runs in both the Italian SuperLega & Champions League. Klemen Cebulj, Slovenian outside hitter and player for Itas Trentino virtually sat down with us to share some insights into his life and routine during Coronavirus. With so much uncertainty right now, it is helpful to know that the top athletes in our sport are in the same situation as the rest of us, taking it one day at a time. 

What do Klemen’s days look like right now? With his wife, son, and three dogs in isolation with him, there is no shortage of things to do. “We are watching cartoons with my son, we are teaching him how to speak English a little bit more. We need to make sure he isn’t bored. We have three dogs, so we take them for ten minutes a day outside to get some fresh air.”

While there was an abrupt disruption to the 2019-2020 Italian SuperLega season, playing with two other superstar outside hitter in Aaron Russell & Uros Kovacevic turned out to be a great experience for Cebulj. “For me this was good because we had very strong training, we competed every day against each other. The coach (Angelo Lorenzetti) made very nice rotations every match. I believe we all played the same amount when we were all healthy.”

Slovenia qualified for the Volleyball Nations League after winning the Challenger Cup in 2019. However, their debut will have to be cut short due to Coronavirus. “We will keep training and keep pushing to achieve our goals. I think we will have the chance to play in the Nations League in the future.”

There is some degree of frustration involved with the current circumstances, but Klemen has a message of positivity for everyone: “Stay at home. Stay with your families because especially for volleyball players, we spend a lot of time away from home, so at least we have this time to spend with family.” But he reiterated that the most important thing for all of us to do right now is to stay at home. 

We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the life of an athlete during this extraordinary situation. Stay tuned for more interviews and features on our website in the next few weeks.