Interview with Bogdan Pugna (coach TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen): “Doing our best for a chance at the double”

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen's triumph in the Liebherr Cup Final Four means they have won a title for the first time since 2019. In this interview, Coach Bogdan Pugna describes the key factors behind his team's success, explains the significance of winning the title for the first time in his career as a coach and talks about the chances of winning the double.

Bogdan Pugna, you led TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen to their first title win since 2019 at the Liebherr Cup Final Four. How do you feel and, apart from your team's performance, what do you think were the decisive factors for this success?

I'm very happy that we've managed to bring the trophy back home after six years. That was one of our most important goals before the start of the season. It's even nicer that we can share this moment with so many fans and officials who do so much for the players and our club all year round. I think that our team spirit from the many times we've spent together and our mental strength have been important reasons for our success, but also the motivation from this great backdrop.

You've only been in charge of a professional club as head coach for a few months and have already won your first title. What does this success mean to you personally?

It feels good for me that we have won this title. I'm very proud that we achieved it with the whole club staff and these fantastic players. At 33, I'm still very young, but at the same time I already know the players through my work in my last five years at Liebherr Masters College and with the professional team. We are now benefiting greatly from the last few years together, as this connection has helped us to openly exchange ideas and develop a strategy for this success together.

Ochsenhausen has declared that it is making a radical change to get back on the road to success after last season. Did that mean additional pressure of expectation for you right from the start?

No. When I decided to become a table tennis coach in 2012 as a very young person, I was aware that such a moment would come. But I always dreamed of having the opportunity to work with players like our great boys. That's why I wouldn't call it pressure. Of course, you take on and bear a great deal of responsibility in such a situation, but in other professions with equally great responsibility, you always find a way.

Your top man Hugo Calderano was the outstanding player at the Final Four with four wins in four matches and an impressive overall record of 12:1 sets. How can you explain his brilliant form at the start of the year?

Hugo played at a very high level, at one of his best levels. On the one hand, he prepared very intensively, very specifically and very well for this tournament, on the other hand he was highly motivated to finally win another title with our club. What's more, our team did a lot to make Hugo feel so good about playing so well.

In the third game of the final, Edy Ionescu's match points against Shunsuke Togami threatened to put your team 2:1 behind. How did you perceive this dicey situation?

That was of course a very emotional match for Shunsuke, also because it was his first time at this tournament. He may have already gained experience at the Olympic Games or played in front of a large crowd in his home country, but when you take responsibility for your team in front of 5,000 people, you sometimes get emotional in your game, but in the end he proved that he is a great player. He managed to win this game thanks to his great inner strength.

Before this year's cup win, Ochsenhausen had last won the Final Four six years ago and also completed the double six months later by triumphing in the championship. Can your team repeat this history this season?

First of all, we want to enjoy this great success, because we are really very happy about it. For the second half of the TTBL season, however, we are also very aware that we first have to think from game to game in order to qualify for the play-offs. That won't be easy because the season is still very long, but if we make it to the play-offs, we will do our best to get a chance to win a second title this season and thus the double.

Regardless of the cup win and title chances, what is your philosophy at Ochsenhausen and what vision do you want to implement?

The club has a great history in terms of player development. I want to continue that, as you can see from the fact that we have Leonardo Iizuka and Tiago Abidoun, two very young players in our team who are constantly developing and have already won medals at the Junior World Championships. Both are very promising players who I would like to support in getting better and better together with our experienced players.

Thank you very much for the interview, Bogdan Pugna.

 Interview: Florian Manzke