INTERVIEW – Vardar back Sanja Damnjanovic is looking forward to her first FINAL4 and expects the team who is best at keeping focus to win the trophy.

By Peter Bruun

If you can talk about a curse after only two FINAL4´s, there appears one hanging over HC Vardar. At the two previous editions of the Women´s FINAL4, the Macedonian handball powerhouse has finished third. Obviously, they want to change that in Vardar – and not for the worse, of course!

One player, who was not been part finishing third in the past two years, is Sanja Damnjanovic. The 28-year-old left back and center-back only joined Vardar last summer from Danish Viborg HK.

“First of all, I am looking forward to my first FINAL4, of course, but it is obvious that we all want to finish better than just being third once again,” says the former Serbian international in an interview with stregspiller.com.

“Although I cannot draw any comparisons to the previous years, when I was not part of the team, I would say that we seem to be stronger this season, than we were on the two previous occasions.

“First of all, I think we have become better at focusing on the single task and staying focused, and I actually expect that quality to become decisive at an event like this FINAL4, where all four teams seem to be so equal,” says Sanja Damnjanovic.

“I think that the team who will be best at keeping their focus will also be the team to win the event in the end,” she says.

One might expect every team and every player to be completely focused at a FINAL4, though, and Damnjanovic agrees.

“You are right, but there will always be small details in tough and close matches like these – and especially when you have to play two tight games in two days – where you may lose focus for a while, simply because of the stress and the pressure you are under in competitions like this one.

“That is my point, and that is I why expect focus to be so decisive.

“This is also why it will be so essential to us to stay sharp.

“If we can do that – and I am confident that we can – we have a very good chance of avoiding another third place!” believes Sanja Damnjanovic.