Wim Verdonschot and Sam Walker round of 16 TTBL clash Borussia Dortmund vs TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, Leapmotor Cup opening, Nuremberg; Final4 within reach

The Cup Interview with Wim Verdonschot (Borussia Dortmund) and Sam Walker (TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau): “Reaching the Final4 is definitely a possibility for us”

Borussia Dortmund and TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau will face off in a TTBL matchup at the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening in Nuremberg to determine one of the four quarterfinalists. In this interview, BVB returnee Wim Verdonschot and Grenzau fan favorite Sam Walker discuss their chances of winning in the round of 16, their personal ambitions, and the cup competition.

Wim Verdonschot, with your new club, Borussia Dortmund, you’ll face TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau in a TTBL matchup in the round of 16 at the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening. Which team do you think is the favorite?

Wim Verdonschot: I’d say that, on paper, we’re probably the favorites. But every match has to be played first. I know this from last season with second-division club Union Velbert, when we played against 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT in the cup: We were the clear underdogs there, and Saarbrücken—as Champions League winners—were the overwhelming favorites, and yet it still turned out to be a really close match for Saarbrücken. If Dortmund and Grenzau aren’t as far apart in terms of playing strength as Velbert and Saarbrücken were, this could be a very, very exciting and wide-open round of 16 match.

Sam Walker, how high are the hopes at your club, TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, of advancing to the quarterfinals?

Sam Walker: We haven’t really thought about the quarterfinals yet. We just want to take it one game at a time, and of course it will be a tough match for us against Dortmund. We just want to give it our all that day and fight hard. Naturally, we always believe we can win; right now, we’re also trying to focus solely on this game and hope that we play well and make it to the quarterfinals as a result. If we put in a good performance, we obviously have every chance of winning.

Your coach, Evgeny Fadeev, Wim Verdonschot, is hoping to reach the Liebherr Cup Final4 for the first time after Dortmund’s first two Bundesliga seasons, which ended with first-round losses in the cup against 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT. How likely do you think that is?

Wim Verdonschot: If you take a look at the cup draw, you could certainly say that we’ve been lucky and that it’s definitely possible for us. But as I said before: Every match has to be played first; you can’t underestimate any team. However, if we play to our full potential, I think it’s very possible that we’ll make it to the Final4.

Grenzau and Dortmund, Sam Walker, each won one of their two Bundesliga matches against each other last season. Do those results still hold any significance?

Sam Walker: We haven’t really thought too much about past results so far. Sure, we won once and lost once against them last season, but Dortmund has a few new players now, and we have Liam Pitchford on our team as well. That won’t mean all that much to us. It’s a new game on a new day, and either team can win.

Does the new Grand Opening format—with the round of 16 and quarterfinals taking place on the same weekend—change how your team prepares for the cup?

Wim Verdonschot: I don’t know, because I’m not yet familiar with BVB’s preparation routines—this is my first Bundesliga season in Dortmund, after all. But I don’t think the effects of the new format will be that significant. If we get into the groove and prepare well, I think it can actually only be an advantage, because all of our players are in great physical shape and are all in top form right now. That’s why I believe it can only be positive for us that both matches are played in one weekend, and hopefully, if we play well in the first game, we can carry that momentum into the second game.

Sam Walker: I think the new format is good for the players, and it doesn’t really change anything about our preparation—at least not ours. Ultimately, it’s just another game, so we’ll prepare for it exactly the same way we do for any other game.

Wim Verdonschot, during last season’s cup competition, you nearly knocked out the Champions League winner, Saarbrücken, in the quarterfinals while playing for Velbert, thanks to two singles victories. What memories do you still have of that memorable moment?

Wim Verdonschot: Well, that was certainly extraordinary against Saarbrücken, and I always enjoy looking back on it. They’re all wonderful memories. The match against Edy Ionescu at the start and then the match against Darko Jorgic—that was one of a kind.

If Grenzau defeats Dortmund, the match to advance to the Liebherr Cup Final4 could feature a reunion with your former coach, Slobodan Grujic, who has since moved to TTC OE Clarity Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg. Is this thought already on your team’s mind?

Sam Walker: Of course, it would be nice to see “Bobo” again and play against him. But that’s not something we’re thinking about much. That’s still a long way off, because to even get that far, we first have to beat Dortmund, and that’s going to be a tough match. We’ll just have to wait and see.

At Borussia Dortmund, your debut season in the TTBL—just like the Cup Grand Opening—has been met with a lot of early praise. Are the expectations that come with that a burden for you, or do they actually serve as motivation?

Wim Verdonschot: I think the first season—or at least the first few games—in the TTBL definitely won’t be easy. When you get so much praise beforehand, or people have such high expectations of you, it’s nice on the one hand, of course, but on the other hand, you naturally feel the pressure to deliver. It’s a bit of both. On the one hand, there’s a bit of pressure—though it doesn’t weigh on me—and on the other hand, it’s definitely an incentive, because I want to show what I’m capable of and support BVB as best I can.

With four titles through 2006, Grenzau is one of the most successful teams in the cup competition. However, its last appearance in the Final 4 was over eight years ago, and in recent years, Grenzau has been embroiled in relegation battles on several occasions. How important would it be for your club to reach the cup semifinals again?

Sam Walker: Of course, we all know how successful Grenzau has been in the past. So our goal is, naturally, to bring that success back to the club. But that’s very difficult because the league and the other teams are very strong. That’s why, just like in previous years, it’s once again very difficult to succeed in both the league and the cup. But I think we’ve had some positive seasons in recent years, and I feel that we’re improving as players and as a team. Of course, it would be great for the whole club to reach the semifinals. But if we don’t make it, it’s not the end of the world, and we can still be successful in the league. For us, it’s simply about performing as well as possible in every game, helping to build up the club, and leading it back to its former successes. I believe we’re on the right track. It’s a long process, but things have already been better in recent years. Last season was good, especially the second half of the season. So we’re trying to be more positive, continue to strengthen the club, and hopefully become more successful—building on our performances from last year and growing as much as possible year after year, not just as players, but also as a team and as a club. It’s not just about making it to the Final4, but of course that would be fantastic for the club.

Wim Verdonschot and Sam Walker, thank you very much for the interview.