Lausanne, Switzerland, January 25, 2019 – The libero of reigning world champions Poland, Pawel Zatorski, honoured as the best libero of the 2018 World Championship, says he was lucky to be named on the Dream Team. He says that the team of his dreams is the national squad of Poland and he is “a lucky man to be able to play with these guys and fight for more trophies.” Zatorski is also feeling lucky that the Polish PlusLiga is one of the best in the world and that he gets to play close to home, close to his wife and son. A second child is also on the way...
Pawel Zatorski receives the Best Libero award at the 2018 World Championship
“In 2014 we played a fantastic World Championship in front of our home crowd. It was pure magic! Before the tournament last year few people had faith in us, but with each game we became stronger and eventually got to a level we ourselves did not know we could play at. For most of us that was another ‘best tournament of our lives’, something extraordinary,” Zatorski told fivb.com. “I got lucky that Jenia Grebennikov did not play in the finals and I was presented with the best libero award, but what’s far more important for me are the gold medals and the joy we brought to the people of Poland.”
This was not the first time the Polish athlete has received an individual award at a major international competition. He was also declared the best libero of the Club World Championship in 2010 and the World League in 2015, which rules luck out as the possible reason.
Although liberos are the ones doing a lot of ‘the dirty work’ on the court and don’t always attract as much attention as the players scoring the points, the 28-year-old player of ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, current table leader with an impeccable 14-0 win-loss record, is quite often honoured as the MVP of PlusLiga matches.
“It does feel good to be appreciated. More and more people start not only appreciating players for their offensive abilities, but also for good reception and defence. I don’t feel unnoticed by the fans or the media. Often it’s quite the opposite – I get a lot of positive reactions from them, which is, of course, really nice.”
World Championship titles are in the past and do not guarantee continued success in the future. With the next big world-level competition, the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, only four months away, Zatorski does not consider his Poland as the favourites to win.
“It is really hard to name a favourite. The VNL will get huge attention from the fans and many teams will want to take the crown. We also need to qualify for the Olympics and it is not going to be easy at all, even for the world champions,” the libero commented.
“Creating the VNL to replace the World League was a good move. From the marketing standpoint, the whole undertaking became more dynamic. It is more recognizable for the fans and I hope that the prestige of the competition will keep growing each season,” Zatorski said.
A university graduate with a Master's degree in sports marketing, Zatorski is not sure about his next career move yet. “I would still like to spend quite a few years playing. It’s difficult to say where life is going to take me after the end of my career as a player. I hope that education will help me in my life outside sports.”
For now, Zatorski’s life outside sports revolves around his family. He has played for Polish clubs throughout his career and likes to spend his off-time with wife Agnieszka and son Samuel. “I devote all my free time outside volleyball to my family. When they live in another city, I really miss them and it is particularly difficult. The good thing is that volleyball keeps me so busy that the weeks spent away from them seem to go by fast. I am fortunate that the PlusLiga is one of the best leagues in the world – both organization and sports-wise – and Polish players get recognized here, so I don’t feel the need to go abroad. I can’t imagine leaving my family in another country, and while my wife is still studying, going abroad together is not possible.”
The upcoming VNL is not the only thing Pawel Zatorski impatiently anticipates this summer. After the VNL was over in 2018, the Zatorskis vacationed in Greece, but they have no such plans for 2019. “Long flights are out of the question this year! Our second baby is due around the end of the VNL, so we will spend that time in Poland, taking care of our newborn...”