Verschiedenes

National player Kay Stumper is playing his first season for Post SV Mühlhausen. In this interview, the German singles champion and former vice world champion talks to the team about his first few months with the Thuringians, his international ambitions, and his reunion with his former club Borussia Düsseldorf.

Kay Stumper, with two games to go before the end of the first half of the season, Post SV Mühlhausen are four points behind a playoff spot and also four points ahead of the relegation zone, virtually in no man's land in the TTBL table. How satisfied are you with your team's performance so far?

I'm not entirely satisfied. We had two or three games that we lost in an incredibly frustrating way. In the cup quarterfinals against TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, we also missed out on the Liebherr Cup Final Four in a very bitter way after several match points. All in all, I can't be completely satisfied.

You yourself have a record of 5:3 wins after four consecutive league victories. Can this be seen as a sign that you have settled in after your move from Borussia Düsseldorf to Unstrut?

Yes, I would say that too: I have settled in. But I knew this would happen from the outset because I was made to feel very welcome.

How do the conditions and environment in Mühlhausen differ from those in Düsseldorf?

I have more responsibility, and of course that means people are counting on me more. I often play at number one and generally play in a lot of important matches. The club's success depends to a large extent on my performance, much more so than it did in Düsseldorf. It's something completely different, and I have to say that I like it.

In the summer, you won the singles title for the first time at the NDM in Erfurt. How important is this success to you?

Over time, I'm enjoying this success more and more, especially when I see who else has won this title. It's a big title and certainly one of my biggest at the national level. I'm also very happy that I've now managed to become German champion in all three categories – U15 schoolboys, U19 and now also in the adult category. I also achieved this with Düsseldorf in the team competition.

What about your national team ambitions?

They are still big. I'm trying to continue to do my best and play well internationally. Realistically, however, it is very, very difficult to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, because there are still many really good players, which makes it incredibly difficult. But the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane are my ultimate goal. I'll be 29 then and would like to compete at the peak age for table tennis.

After the WTT tournament in London, media reports about your traffic accident in the English capital caused quite a stir. Have you recovered from all the consequences?

Yes, it was no big deal, I'm doing very well after a few minor problems.

A few days before Christmas, your team is facing another stressful week in the TTBL and the Champions League. In the TTBL, your club is challenging the top two teams, Düsseldorf and Werder Bremen, and in between, the decision on who will advance to the quarterfinals will be made in the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Czech representative HB Ostrov. Is it possible to set priorities with such a demanding schedule?

It really is a stressful schedule for us. I will do my best, but we will have to wait and see when I play which matches and how the matches go. It is clear, of course, that these are still a few important matches for us, and I hope that we can achieve the best possible results for ourselves before the second half of the season.

Right at the start of this “English week,” you'll be facing your former club colleagues in Düsseldorf. How do you feel about returning to your former stomping ground?

For me, it's nothing special. I'm familiar with this kind of situation from the matches against TTC Neu-Ulm back then. I'm not approaching the match against Düsseldorf any differently; it's a normal Bundesliga match.

If Mühlhausen advances to the Champions League quarterfinals, Düsseldorf will likely be their opponent again. Does this constellation make the TTBL duel between the two teams a dress rehearsal?

I wouldn't say so. You can't compare the two competitions because the systems are completely different: one has doubles, the other doesn't, but it has a golden match and a deciding set to six points.

Thank you very much for talking to us, Kay Stumper.

Interview: Florian Manzke
Featured image above: Kay Stumper (Source: Post SV Mühlhausen)