Timo Boll before the Liebherr Cup final: "Playing for titles is still fun".
No player in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) has lifted the trophy more often than German idol Timo Boll. Before the Liebherr Final Four on January 8 (Sunday) in the ratiopharmArena in Neu-Ulm/Ulm, the World Cup bronze medalist from record cup winner Borussia Düsseldorf assesses the chances of his champion team in the semifinals against cup defending champion 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT and remembers an unpleasant cup surprise.
Timo Boll, the Liebherr Final Four in the Cup means a cold start for all participating teams from the Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL) and their players just a few days after the turn of the year. What does that mean for form?
Of course, that depends on the extent and quality of the preparation. The break since our last Bundesliga game before Christmas didn't last forever, but just five days, so we probably haven't lost that much form. I'm not worried about our form for the cup finals.
You won your dress rehearsal for the cup in Borussia Düsseldorf's 3:1 victory over TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt in a duel with Frenchman Romain Ruiz. What feedback did you get from that match?
It was solid against a fierce player where you never know exactly what's coming. I kept my composure well and played calmly. But our cup semifinal against 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT will of course be a completely different match, there will be a completely different pressure and a completely different quality, also in the serve/return area. I was satisfied with my game against Ruiz, but I don't know if that will be enough against Saarbrücken. I'll probably have to switch up a gear.
The deadline race in the international calendar is becoming more and more demanding. But this year, record cup winner Düsseldorf will give you almost two weeks to prepare for the revenge in the semifinals for last year's final loss to Saarbücken. How important is the long preparation time with your teammates to you?
The fact that we now have ten days at a stretch together as a whole team until the cup is really rare. I can still remember well that our preparation for the season a long time ago at TTV Gönnern often lasted more than four and sometimes even more than six weeks and our coach at the time, Helmut Hampl, always made his plan by which we did not serve for three weeks and only trained footwork. But there is nothing like that nowadays, the young players don't know anything like that anymore, because they only have training sessions in blocks and rush from tournament to tournament. Table tennis has also become a different game because of this rush to meet deadlines.
You have won numerous medals at the Olympics and World Championships, more European Championship titles than any other player and have also won the DTTB Cup more times than anyone else. What is the significance of the cup and the Liebherr Final Four for you?
It's the fun, but of course it's still the feeling of playing for titles when you realize that it's all about the sausage, that everyone is hot and that everyone is a bit more tense. That feeling is nice, but it won't be there like that one day, and that's why I'm really enjoying it all again, and I'm not afraid that it's much more open in the cup now than it used to be. I'm really looking forward to it, because one day you won't have those moments anymore, and as long as you can play for titles, it's great.
Is that the kind of madness you recently described yourself with a wink?
Well, not everyone is as relaxed about competitions as I am, and that's why many others finish earlier, especially when things don't go so well, when problems arise, when things get stressful. But I just continue to enjoy it. In the meantime, I've also found a good way to assess myself realistically, but still keep looking for solutions. That's a lot of fun.
The permanent duel with Saarbrücken has already been mentioned. What do you expect from this game?
Against Saarbrücken, the point against their three-peat is almost mandatory for us. They have Cedric Nuytinck with them, a player who is dangerous, who has perhaps not yet played so convincingly, but before whom every player has respect precisely because of his dangerousness. He has also made them stronger in that position. One of us has to break Patrick Franziska or Darko Jorgic - we are quite strong in doubles, but you shouldn't rely on that. But in any case, I think we all have to play at the limit.
In each of the past two years, the Cup finals had to take place without spectators because of Corona regulations. This time, fans and visitors are again allowed in the stands. For a player in the box, what makes the difference between a ghostly backdrop and a game with spectators?
It helps to get up to temperature and generate stress internally. It just depends in which direction each individual lets the stress go, whether you can turn that into positive energy or become rather shaky. That's exciting, because not every day is the same, so you never know exactly in which direction it will go. In any case, I'm looking forward to playing in front of the spectators again. The tournament is a treat for them in particular, because it's never been this open before.
The saying "The cup has its own laws" is all too familiar from soccer. Do you personally also have memories of special cup moments?
The cup win for ASV Grünwettersbach 2020 in itself was a huge surprise that wouldn't be easy in the Bundesliga, because an underdog doesn't tend to play beyond its means that often over an entire season. But in one or two games it's more likely to happen, especially nowadays when all the teams have moved closer together. But I also remember my second year at Borussia, when we lost quite unexpectedly to Werder Bremen in the semifinals in 20008/2009 with Christian Süß and also Dimitrij Ovtcharov. But above all, I can remember that because we got a good scolding.