Benedikt Duda surprises everyone: “Would have declared you crazy”
In picturesque Linz in Upper Austria, Benedikt Duda's father Heinz and mother Martina could hardly believe their eyes, while at home in Bergneustadt in the Upper Berg region, “coach brother” Frederik could no longer keep his head in the TV chair. What Benedikt Duda conjured up on his way to European Championship silver surprised not only fans and experts, but even his table tennis-mad family.
“If they had told me before the European Championships that Benedikt would be playing in the final, I would have immediately declared you crazy,” admitted father Heinz, who had cheered on his son's silver medal with mother Martina in the hall, in an interview with SID. Both had previously made it into the regional table tennis league themselves.
The medal winner himself had “flirted with winning a European Championship medal in the singles his whole career”, Benedikt Duda told SID on his way to the WTT Champions Tournament in Montepllier on Monday. But the success came unexpectedly for him too. “The fact that it worked out right now with such a strong field naturally surprised me myself,” said Duda.
His parents were also “hugely happy” about the runner-up title, and the 0:4 defeat in the final against Frenchman Alexis Lebrun did nothing to change that. As a result, the club WhatsApp group of his home club TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt - the 30-year-old Duda has been loyal to the Bundesliga club for 20 years - was flooded with messages.
The silver medal that Benedikt Duda is bringing back to his home country shines like gold in view of the conditions with which he had traveled to Upper Austria. Brother Frederik had “not even expected to survive the first two rounds”.
After recovering from a cartilage injury in his knee, which forced Duda to sit out for two months in the summer, he was actually “not ready”, “there was still a lot missing in terms of play”, explained Frederik, who is now hoping for a “push” from the surprise success at the club - but also demands direct confirmation from the player.
“He will definitely be more of the hunted. Now, as European runner-up, he has to measure up to that for at least the next two years and also perform,” said Frederik Duda. No problem for the newly crowned runner-up European champion brother, whose self-confidence has been “really boosted”: “I think that many tasks will be easier for me now,” said Duda.
The road to the greatest individual success of his career to date was a long one, but his passion for the sport was born into his table tennis-mad family. “For us, table tennis comes first and nothing comes after that for a long time,” reported his father Heinz.
Due to technical deficiencies, his eldest offspring initially found it difficult at times to meet the demands of the regional and national squad coaches. However, he gradually fought his way forward with a great willingness to perform and made a name for himself at national level even before his European Championship run in Copenhagen.
At the European Championships, Duda first outplayed the top seed Felix Lebrun in the quarter-finals and even drove the French high-flyer to white heat. In the semi-finals, he triumphed in the German duel against two-time European singles champion Dimitrij Ovtcharov. In the final there was nothing to be gained, Alexis Lebrun, brother of the beaten Felix, “rolled over” him.
Source: SID
Featured image above: Benedikt Duda (Photo: AFP/SID/JOE KLAMAR)