Interview of Dusan Mandic : « I don’t know how but I knew that it will be a goal »

The season with Pro Recco has just ended that Dusan Mandic joined the Serbian national team with whom he won his 6th World League. Now, it is on the world championships that he is concentrated. Despite his busy schedule, he did not hesitate to give us his time to answer to our few questions.

Before begining, here is a presentation video of this fantastic player

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hrv0tEiqBA

France Water-Polo : First of all, congratulations for this new title in World League. In the final game, you contributed a lot to Serbia’s victory by scoring four times. Your last goal has also circulated a lot on social networks. What happened in your head to try this stroke of genius when you were led by a goal at 4 minutes from the end of the match?

Dusan Mandic : When I got a foul, it was an instinctive shot. I grabbed the ball very good, and I found myself in the good position for this type of shoot, and without hesitation I did it. I don’t know how but I knew that it will be a goal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OE89irbSBo

FWP : You are European champions, Olympic champions, winners of the World League … what is the strength of Serbia in recent years?

DM : We won everything in a row. It was a chain reaction after winning the European championship in Budapest. It is hard to realise how we did all that, but we have an amazing team, with genius coach, and great atmosphere is circulating between all of us. When you combine strength, quality and persistence and friendship, you get water-polo national team of Serbia.

by Урош Парезановић in News

FWP : There is a tendency to say that the arrival of the new rules could upset the hierarchy and favor the playing styles of countries as Greece, Spain or Italy. Are you agree with that ? How do you prepare for it?

DM : We will see, it is very soon to say that, although nobody of those teams didn’t win this first competition with new rules (The last World League was played with the new rules), we won it. There are a lot of changes, a lot of adaptations for the teams and players. I think that in Tokyo we will see really in whose favour are new rules.

FWP : We usually finish our interviews with the question « really stupid »: If you had to choose, do you prefer to win the world championships this summer with Serbia or the next Champions League with Pro Recco?

DM : I will not choose between that. Right now starts World championships, and I have great will to try to win every game, and now I am only thinking about this. From September starts a new season in Pro Recco, and will only think about winning the Champions League. I will do whatever I can to accomplish that.