for Aitto EllodiThe summer of 2023 will be a journey across the desert as he catapults to stardom and wins his first consecutive title after an unrivaled first half. loversbeside Jose Javier Zabaleta,After that mano manista. The champion’s own obligations don’t give him respite in summer league, an agenda filled with the most demanding commitments in front of the best players in the pros. Driven by his hunger for victory, the native from Malawia has yet to find the 22-card oasis. Savings Bank Masters beside AlbisuHe also hasn’t been able to peak in any of the summer games he’s played in. As if that wasn’t enough, gastroenteritis kept him out of Athletic Athletic last week and he lost in the semi-finals of Donostia Ciria on Tuesday night. Elordi and Sabaleta they are significantly behind Altoona-Rezusta (15-22). Still, Vizcaya is not falling apart and believes things will change soon.
It’s not been an easy summer.
No, it’s been a long year for me. It all started last year in 2022. After San Mateo, Cuatro y Medio started in October and it was a long race for me because I started last, played the semi-finals and ended up third. Then there are the couples tournaments, right up to the final, and the same at Mano Manista… the full race is weeks away, and just when the big tournaments are over and you need a break, the marathon of the whole summer comes to you To put it bluntly…if you don’t give your body a break, it’s usually him who sets the limit. This is how I feel in summer. All year, my body responded well to me, but then in the summer, when it came to keeping up the game and hitting goals, I blamed it.
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He’s played a lot in these months and it’s been very demanding, against the best opponents, which fits the bill for a Mano Manista title.
That is. Here, when you lower the level a little, the opponent is usually 100% and no one forgives anything. In such situations, pushing the game is often difficult. There have been good performances and bad performances throughout the year, but you have to keep going and keep competing.
Have you imagined a summer like that after first conquering the great fantasy of Mano Manistat Sapera?
The truth is I’m excited. I know that what follows is not going to be smooth sailing. He’s had good times and bad times before bringing out txapela, and he knows it will. You have to be mentally strong and try to give it your all in the game and see if we feel good between now and the end of the summer.
Where are you having the most difficulty? Physically, mentally, at the moment of the game?
It all came together. Physically, we play so many games in the summer, but we can’t do the usual training that we do all year round. Not training in the gym will cause you to lose muscle, add the load of the game, and you will wear yourself out…it’s the accumulation of everything.
In the CaixaBank Masters, you and Albisu have lost their four matches so far and now have no chance to advance to the next stage. Did the role played in this competition particularly stung you?
Here one has to be realistic. Being the Mano Manista champion doesn’t mean he has to be at the top of every competition. It’s almost impossible to finish 100% in the top two positions in all tournaments. Yes, I would have liked to be at least in the middle of the table, but the opponents are much stronger than us. Let’s see if things get better next.
The last show left at the end of the summer is the San Mateo show, which takes place on Monday, where you make your debut with Rezusta. How did the La Rioja Championship resonate with you?
Hello. This is a very beautiful and very high-level exhibition. We have tough opponents in front of us, but Bennett had a great summer and played really well, let’s see if I can help him a little bit. If I can show games from before the summer, we’ll have a chance, and that’s why we’re going.
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You played most of the summer with Zabaleta and won the Parejas Championship in the spring with him, but you also did well with Rezusta, right?
Yes, I have particular confidence in Zabaleta, which is normal after playing couples with him for four straight months. But it’s a similar story with Rezusta. We have overlapped in many training sessions and know each other very well. I’m excited about that part.
With the summer now well into the final stretch, I think he has his eye on the four-and-a-half-round tournament, an event a year ago that gave him the motivation to play and win the Couples and Mano Manista.
Yes. It’s still a month or so away from starting, but I’ve got it in my head. From next week onwards we will start to prepare the body to handle all the loads of the summer.