Portugal's Olympian Prepares for London 2012

2012 is Olympic year and Portugal's Marcos Freitas came out firing, posting one of the most spectacular matches in the beginning of the year against Roko Tosic in the French League. Since then he has continue to perform in the leadup to the Olympic Games, being one of the first players to qualify from the European Continental Qualification Tournament. Thanks for the interview Marcos and best of luck in London!

Name: Marcos Freitas

Age: 24

Date of Birth: 8/4/1988

Nation Represented: Portugal

Highest World Ranking: 31

Portugal's Marcos Freitas

How and when did you start playing table tennis? Who influenced you during your early years?

I started when I was 8 years old in the club where I was living. My father took me to try it because he liked the sport and played also for some years but in an amateur level. I really liked and I kept playing it.

What is your most memorable moment in your table tennis career so far?

I’m happy to say that I had many great moments, it’s difficult to choose just one, I can say that my qualification for the olympic games in London for singles it was a big moment for me.

Congratulations on qualifying for the 2012 London Olympic Games. You started the year with some fantastic matches in the French League, is 2012 a good year? Do you feel positive looking forward to London?

Thanks, yes it has been a good year, like you said I played really good games in the french league and also in international competitions, I will prepare well for the olympic games and hopefully I will have good results there.

What has been the most challenging moment this year so far?

I have to say the olympic qualification tournament, its really hard to qualify for the olympics in our sport, it was very challenging.

What are your big goals for this year?

My principle goal is to improve my level as a player.

Rough couple of months for your teammate Tiago Apolonia, are you confident he will still be able to qualify for the Olympic Games?

Yes it was hard for him, but I think he will qualify now during the world olympic qualification tournament in Qatar.

Be sure to check out Marcos' Personal Website at www.marcosfreitas.com

How did you feel about Portugal's performance at the recent World Team Championships?

I think we did a good job, we finished 11 which is our best classification ever, we won a lot of games. Tiago was not playing so we didnt had our best team but in the end Énio and André did a good job replacing him.

Who is your favourite opponent to come up against in competition and why?

I dont have a favourite opponent.

What do you think table tennis needs to be a more popular spectator sport?

That's a really hard question, i think we need to have more promotion on the tournaments and also more attractions on the halls, like singers, performers etc.

Have you tried the new table tennis ball? If yes tell us what you think of it.

I did not try the new ball.

Who do you think is the most promising young player in Europe?

It’s hard to say, there are many good players and only the time will say who will be good in the seniors.

What do you think makes China above the rest of the world standard?

China is the best because they have the knowledge of our sport, great material and they also work more.

What do you enjoy doing while you aren't playing table tennis?

I like to go out with friends, internet, movies.

If you won a million dollars what would you spend it on first?

I really dont know, maybe take a nice holidays first and then think what i could do with the money.

What advice can you give to table tennis players who wish to succeed?

My advice is that if you really want to be a good table tennis player you have to practise a lot.

Marcos Freitas v Roko Tosic: French League 2012

Video by GecaPhoenix