Separation after 15 years: Sofia Polcanova leaves Linz AG Froschberg

European table tennis champion Sofia Polcanova and series champion Linz AG Froschberg, for whom the national player has been active for 15 years, are going their separate ways at the end of the season. “The schedule is tight. Sofia wants to focus 100 percent on the international tournaments,” it said in a statement.

“She informed the club of her decision in a timely manner, so that there was enough time to look for the most adequate replacement possible and to rebuild the Linz AG Froschberg squad.”

After failing in the Champions League semi-final (against Tarnobrzeg), Polcanova (29) was confronted with criticism that club president Günther Renner is said to have expressed about her performance and results. “That’s not true. If she were in top shape, this wouldn’t have happened. She’s our number 1 player,” said the club boss.

“I learned a lot”

Polcanova is expected to give her farewell performance for Linz AG Froschberg at the Bundesliga final on April 28th. “It would be nice to win another title,” said the native Moldavian, who came to Linz at the age of 14. “15 years at a club is a long time. I learned a lot – from Liu Jia and the other girls. We experienced a lot together. Of course I would have liked us to win the Champions League. Unfortunately we didn’t manage that.” said Polcanova, looking back.

The decision was not made at short notice, but had been made for a long time. “Even if we had won against Tarnobrzeg, we would have communicated it like this,” emphasized Renner.

Polcanova will not play for any other club next season, but will concentrate fully on international tasks. And then? “I can’t say what will happen in a year. I don’t even know what will happen in three weeks.”

“It’s almost inhumane”

In any case, we part on good terms. The tight calendar hardly allows any breaks, one tournament follows the next. “The WTT is destroying us all. It’s almost inhumane to go through the whole program. Sofia rushes from one appointment to the next, she’s not a machine. The appointment calendar doesn’t allow for anything private,” explained Renner.

Plans for the future at the club are in full swing: all of the existing A squad, which will compete in the Champions League again, remain with the exception of Polcanova. A top European player has already signed for the coming season.

Polcanova is heading to Asia on Wednesday for three and a half weeks and back to China in mid-April. Physically she feels good: her knees and hips aren’t causing any problems at the moment, “because I’m training smarter now.” The 29-year-old’s center of life will continue to be Linz, where one of two highlights of the season will take place: After the Summer Olympics in Paris, the focus will be on the home European Championships in the Tips Arena (October 15th to 20th).