Lausanne, Switzerland, January 28, 2019 – French international Kevin Le Roux, a Dream Team middle blocker in the inaugural 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, commented on the national team’s busy summer ahead, including the second edition of the VNL, the intercontinental Olympic qualifications and the European Championship, in an interview with ffvb.org (excerpts below). Le Roux, who won the national cup of Brazil with his current club Sada Cruzeiro Volei Belo Horizonte on Sunday, also talked about his participation in the 2018 FIVB Club World Championship and his experience in the Brazilian league.
FIVB President Ary Graça presents the VNL Best Middle Blocker award to Kevin Le Roux
How is your adaptation in Brazil going?
It's going well. Life is beautiful. I eat well, I live well, it's nice... And in volleyball, it’s going well too. No injury, the back is holding, so I'm happy.
What do you think of the level of the Brazilian championship?
It is strong - technical and fast, but also physical. One can feel the style of the Brazilian national team.
You play alongside Brazilian internationals against whom you are used to playing with the national team. How is it?
That's right. We have middle blocker Isac (Santos) and opposite Evandro (Guerra). It's nice to play with them. They know volleyball, they like it and play it well. Furthermore, they are nice guys - we can have a drink together after training or a game. They are cool. I like their mentality. In the team, we also have Taylor Sander, outside hitter of the US national team. He is also a nice guy, but we see him a little less off the court because he has a six-month-old baby.
Le Roux and his French teammates celebrate in their match against Brazil in the 2018 VNL finals in Lille
At the Club World Championship in Poland in November you did not manage to advance from the pool. How do you explain this?
We played badly. We cannot deny it. It was not the level we are used to in the championship. It's hard to explain why. We were really planning to win against (Asseco) Resovia and advance, but they played a very good game and we had a lot of problems. But for me, it was a first, so it was still a good experience, and it was nice to see Thibault (Rossard), Rafa (Redwitz) and Jenia (Grebennikov). We reunited to chat at the hotel.
Considering your individual statistics, do you feel that you are gaining strength?
Yes, I do. We had a little trouble early in the season. Now it's getting better and better, but it has obviously taken a while. In terms of stats, I'm happy - I'm the fifth best server and the third best blocker in the championship, and it helps the team.
In that case, would you like to extend this adventure?
If I am offered an extension of the contract, I will sign immediately, with my eyes closed! I'm really well here. Volleyball is good. Life is beautiful. It's too early to talk about it now as I do not know what they plan to do. So I just continue to play my volleyball.
Let's talk about the French team. Did you follow the draw for EuroVolley 2019 and what do you think?
All pools are well balanced. With two big teams per pool, we have Italy, whom we know well, but Bulgaria can also cause us problems. The rest (Greece, Portugal, Romania) are not necessarily big nations, but we have to be serious and win these games in order to finish in the top two and have a good place in the eighthfinals.
Are you looking forward to it?
Yes, I cannot wait to play at the European Championship, but before that we have the VNL and the Olympic qualifications, which are important. It will be a busy summer and we will have to prepare well to stay in shape.
What do you think about the Olympic qualification pool (Poland, Slovenia, Tunisia)?
When my Brazilian teammates saw our pool, they said "ouch!" It's going to be tough. Poland are the top - they are double world champions and will be further strengthened by (Wilfredo) Leon, who will join their team. After all, they are not unbeatable and it is not unmanageable. Slovenia are also solid. We beat them 3-0 in the final of EuroVolley 2015, but it was with difficulty.