Table tennis player Filip Radović said that the medal from the Paralympic Games in Tokyo is the most valuable in his career, but that the European bronze from Vejle, Denmark is his favorite, reminding that he won it at the age of 15, as a debutant in a major competition.
In an interview with the MINA agency, he said that he was proud of the result in Tokyo, but also of the difficult qualification path, stating that it was even more difficult than the Paralympic tournament.
The Paralympian with four European medals said that he is somewhat aware of the achieved result and the difficulty of the task he had.
"I often think about playing in the tournament, but I never looked back at the qualification path, which was probably more difficult than reaching the semi-finals in Tokyo. Several times I was on the verge of not securing a place at the Games, and then in Tokyo on the way to a medal I defeated two players whom I had never beaten until that moment," said Radović.
He emphasized that he was particularly pleased with the fact that he managed to play his best table tennis in the most important moments.
"It shows that even now, even though I'm relatively young, I'm ready for big matches. This gives me a certain amount of self-confidence for the competitions that await me in the future," said Radović.
Speaking about the Paralympic tournament, he recalled that he traveled to Tokyo as the sixth player in the world and one of the contenders for a medal, and that it was clear to everyone that he would not be satisfied with just participating in the Games.
"I am overjoyed because of the medal I won, the achievement of my goal and my dream. We all know what a medal from the biggest show of sports means. For me, however, the feeling was even better when I managed to win the first European medal as a total outsider. I made a big surprise at that tournament in 2015, and that's why that medal is my favorite," said Radović.
Speaking about the current state of world table tennis in the S10 category and the fact that Patrik Čojnovski is the only one he hasn't defeated, Radović said that the Pole is definitely a player who stands out in terms of quality.
"Our match in the semifinals of the Paralympic Games was uncertain, I didn't use some of my chances to take the match to the fifth, deciding set. It was in those key moments that he showed his class and turned the match in his favor. "Definitely, there is a difference in quality between us, but I believe that after four years of hard work, I can hope for something against Čojnovski," said Radović.
Commenting on the fact that he was on the podium at the last three European championships, the Montenegrin table tennis player said that it is not easy to continuously win medals.
"This year, the World Cup in Spain is waiting for me. There are many good players in my category and it is really thankless to predict any result at this moment. In addition to playing quality, luck is necessary in order to be on the podium in such a competition. The most important thing for me is to do my best in training for the next ten months with the aim of being as ready as possible for November 2022," said Radović.
He pointed out that he still regrets the Paralympic medal in the team competition with Luka Bakić, especially considering that, after the rule change, it could be their last performance together.
"We prepared a lot for the doubles, because we thought we had a better chance in the team part of the competition at the Paralympic Games. In one period of preparation, we looked really powerful and it is definitely regrettable that we did not manage to take advantage of the chance for another medal. The new format of the competition does not suit us, because if there were no changes, hard work and hard work would have to come to the fore in one of the next big competitions," said Radović.
Speaking about his early departure from Cetinje, his great sacrifice and work in training, his journey from a talented boy to a European Championship finalist and a Paralympic medalist, he said that he first thought he could be a great table tennis player after a match with Pavel Lukjanov, then one of the best in class S10.
"From the first tournament, with the new coach Nicolae Lupulescu, I came back optimistic. It was not a successful tournament as a result, because it was difficult to expect anything from me at that time. There were victories, but many more defeats. I was very young and even then I showed that I had the potential to be one of the best in my category. "I played a lot of uncertain matches with players who were ranked much better than me, which was a great success for me at that moment," said Radović.
He pointed out that the match against Pavel Lukyanov left a special mark on him in a positive sense.
"I lost 3:2 against a player who was at the very top of the S10 category. That was the moment that gave me the wind at my back to continue working to make my dreams come true," said Radović.
The Paralympian, who plays in the Super Leagues of Montenegro and Serbia, said that he is satisfied with his performances and results so far.
"I made a few surprises, I beat some players who were favorites against me. There were also two hiccups in this half-season, but the pace of the matches was fierce, which resulted in a drop in concentration on a couple of occasions. All in all, I can be satisfied with what has been shown in the previous part of the season," concluded Radović.
Bonus video:
