After the dramatic fourth match of the final series in the Polish championship, lost by Bogdanka LUK Lublin, the captain of the Bulgarian national team Alex Grozdanov stood before the microphone ofVolleyWeek.bgin the 'Globus' hall in Lublin. The middle blocker spoke both about the battle for the title in Poland and about the upcoming busy summer with the national team, the home European Championship in 2026, and the problems facing Bulgarian sports. Grozdanov also commented on the physical fatigue after the tough season, expectations for Bulgaria after their strong performance in the Philippines, and his dream to one day play in front of a full 'Arena 8888' in Sofia.

– Alex, a tough and emotional match. There is one more game left in the final series. What is the mood in the team?
– We need to recover as quickly as possible. We also have a long trip to Sosnowiec. The hall there is very pleasant to play in, our fans will support us, so I hope we can show slightly better volleyball in some aspects. I'm thinking positively. We truly have the opportunity and strength to defend the title from last year.

– Was there over-motivation? You seemed very emotional even before the start.
– There was emotion, but I don't think we were overly motivated or burned out. They simply played better volleyball compared to the previous two matches. In my opinion, the difference was mainly in the serve. I personally made three service errors, and in the previous two matches, I didn't have any. That was one of the main differences. Towards the end of the last set, we got a bit tired. Now we need to rest emotionally and prepare.

– You were leading in many moments, especially in the third set. What was missing?
– Yes, in most sets we had a lead, but they caught up to us. We simply needed to reduce errors in some moments. We made two or three service errors one after another in important situations. But everything will be fine.

– Was there any bitterness left from being eliminated from the Champions League?
– Yes, there's no denying it – there is such a note. They caught us at a very bad time. There was great fatigue in the team – both physical and mental. From January to the end of March, we only had ten people at practice. One was recovering, another was getting injured. There were serious things – herniated discs, muscle tears. It was a tough period. Otherwise, Sawicki made a great comeback, even though he was out of play for more than nine months and is not yet in optimal form.

– After the end of the series, the season with the national team begins. How much time will you have to rest?
– Very little. I still have one more conversation with head coach Blengini to clarify how many days I will be able to rest and recover. After that – a trip home. I will definitely have to stay two more days in Lublin, and then a few days with my family. In reality, for the last eight months, we've only been together for one evening, when I managed to go home, and that was for two or three hours. That's just how things happened. It's good that my girlfriend was able to visit me from time to time. I can't wait to spend more time with her.

– After the short break, you will be in Poland again, this time with the national team for the Silesia Cup.
– Yes, that's the plan. I'll have a few days to go home and see my family, and then preparation with the national team begins. Last year there was a similar option – if we had finished the club season later, I might have stayed in Poland and joined the team directly for the tournament. Now, however, we will have a little time to rest before we gather again. This tournament is a great opportunity to see what condition we are in, to readjust, and our opponents are serious.

– What are your expectations for the summer with the national team? The schedule looks very tough.
– The most important thing is to be healthy and recovered. To gather all together, rested as much as possible, and to build upon what we did last summer. I texted with Moni Nikolov and I'm glad there's nothing serious regarding his injury, because I know what it's like (referring to the injury to his left-hand fingers at the start of the national team season last summer, editor's note). I hope we are all healthy. I can't say which of the three VNL tournaments is tougher, but it will be difficult because we will travel across the Ocean twice – to Brazil, then back to Europe, and then to Chicago. And there are no easy matches for us anymore, because no one will underestimate us, as we have shown that we can play on par with the big teams. Even the teams that theoretically seem weaker will come out against the second-best in the world with enormous motivation. The most important thing is to win matches and accumulate points for the ranking. Ultimately, it doesn't matter if the victory is beautiful or not – a win is a win. Sometimes there are matches with more errors and tougher moments, but if you manage to win them, it means you've done your job.

– New names are also expected in the national team...
– Absolutely. If you're referring to Jasmin Velichkov, I wouldn't say he's very new; he trained with us last year. He had a great first season with Monza, I managed to watch a few matches while Marti Atanasov was also there. And that's good. The new guys need to fight, to learn, and we also need to learn from each other. Competition is very important if you want to take a step up.

– A home European Championship is also coming up. What does that mean to you?
- This will be a huge emotion for me. Honestly, I constantly think about it. I think about this tournament at least two or three times a week. This has been my dream since I was a child. I remember in 2015 I was in the upper rows of "Arena Armeec" watching the national team. I imagined one day I would be down on the court in front of a full hall. But hosting also brings pressure. We need to be very mentally prepared. After all, we are at home – friends, families, organization, pressure, thousands of things. We are a young team and we need to be mentally ready for this. We will give our all. I can guarantee that for every single person on the team. We will simply burn on the court. I hope we don't burn out.

- Last year you were the youngest team at the tournament in the Philippines. Does that help or hinder?
- Both. But the workload is enormous. The club season is tough, and then almost without a break comes the national team. Not everyone manages to fully recover mentally and physically. To be honest, the topic of changing the calendar is very interesting. In my opinion, the idea for national teams to play in winter makes sense. You get a chance for a little breathing room in the middle of the season, you change the atmosphere, you see your family. Such breaks sometimes help a lot.

- Did you personally manage to avoid injuries this season?
- I didn't have any injuries that stopped me from playing, thank God. But there's accumulated fatigue. My knee has been hurting all season, my shoulder also started causing problems last month for the same reason – accumulated fatigue. There are cramps in my back, ribs... That's part of the game. As a close friend told me – when you're a professional athlete, how do you expect nothing to hurt?

- In our preliminary conversation, you also touched on the topic of conditions in Bulgarian sports.
- Yes, there needs to be a change there. I grew up in gyms where we trained in sub-zero temperatures with gloves. If we had better conditions and more gyms, many more children would take up sports, especially volleyball.

- In this vein, you also mentioned Vladimir Nikolov.
- I hope, if there's an opportunity, he helps sports, brings in fresh ideas and new thinking. The Bulgarian system needs a shake-up, because it doesn't support sports much. There are exceptions, but they are few, like the one in Samokov – you train, eat, and sleep in one place, no time wasted. Good organization immediately yields results.

- And here comes the topic of civic engagement...
- Absolutely, because we can't just grumble and wait for someone to appear and fix things. We played semi-finals with Bogdanka, but then I drove almost 400 kilometers to Warsaw to vote. I believe everyone should have a civic stance and participate in these processes, and not just complain and hate afterwards.

- And finally - what would you wish for your teammates as captain before the start of summer?
- To work hard, to protect themselves from injuries, to recover properly and to be healthy. That's what I would tell them. We come maximally motivated and we have to do our job right.