Szőcs on Hate, Munich 2022 Goals and Strength

Bernadette Szőcs is one of Europe’s finest table tennis players, ranking third in the women’s single category on the continent. The Romanian just consolidated her position by winning bronze at Europe Top 16 in early 2022. Internationally the 27-year-old has been boosted to rank 24. In an exclusive interview the professional athlete let us in on her daily life, weaknesses, tactics, hate comments and ultimate goals.

She has been stockpiling fabulous results for years. In 2021 the powerhouse reached the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing 17th. While placing fifth both in women’s and mixed doubles at her second showing at the Olympic games. The list of successes goes on, including silver at the European team championships on home turf in Cluj-Napoca.

Born in Târgu Mureş, a city mostly occupied by culturally Hungarian inhabitants like her family, she grew up with her older brother Hunor. He too is also part of the national table tennis team. Usually, they speak Hungarian at home but switching to Hungary’s national team has never crossed her mind. Szőcs only “left home” to train in Germany, but she returned from Bremen to the Romanian capitol Bucharest at the start of the pandemic.

Even through these taxing times she has persevered. “I love what I do, I don’t feel like it’s a job.” And her thirst for more hasn’t been quenched so far. “I always say it’s not enough; I want even more.”

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF BERNIE

Szőcs’ entire life revolves around table tennis. Here is a breakdown of her usual daily routine:

8:30 AM Breakfast
9:30 – 11:45 AM Practice #1: 2:15 h at the table
11:45 – 12:45 AM Additional gym session 3-4x times per week
1:00 PM Lunch at home
Rest
3:00 PM Coffee break (very important)
4:00 – 6:15 PM Practice #2
Active recovery with physio, massage or acupuncture appointment
8:00 PM Dinner and relax

That is her day-to-day, except for Wednesdays and Sundays. Practice is a must, so is her dose of coffee. “It’s not that I can’t live without it. […] I am drinking it, because I love the taste. And my mother says I’m crazy, because sometimes I drink three of four a day.” On Wednesdays she only has the morning session and therefore stacks on an additional 15 minutes at the table and some extras in the gym. The afternoon is saved for active recovery like fixed physiotherapy appointments. While Sundays consist of a relaxed morning practice or are entirely off, depending on her energy levels.

TABLE TENNIS TRAINING

The training sessions are rarely the same, but do follow a tried-and-true pattern:

Warm up backhand and forehand
Warm up Parallel and diagonal in rotation
Exercise counter
Exercise service
Knowing where the first four balls go (control), then free
Service and free
Stretching
Multi-ball with unknown tempo (longer/ shorter)
Just service 15-20 min (2-3x per week)

Not every player’s life is as uncompromisingly about sport. But Szőcs wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love my job. I chose from when I was young to do this, and I don’t regret it.” The table tennis player is extremely proud of the commitment she has. Nothing short of 100 percent would cut it for her.

BETWEEN ADMIRATION AND HATE

No matter how hard the table tennis phenomenon works she’s often reduced to her good looks and told by onlookers that it seems as if more effort was put into that then her play. “I don’t care, because I know the reality” remarks Szőcs wafting away the cloud of others’ doubts with a swift motion of her hand and hardcore rolling her eyes. “If I win, they do not complain,” but whenever she doesn’t all hell breaks loose. “They say “oh she loses because her nails are done, because she cares about her hair, because she has something else to do,’ really?” The frustration surges in her voice as she speaks. This negativity used to upset her and produce a steady flow of tears, but now it’s nothing more than an annoyance and base of subliminal fury.

“I know I am different than the other girls. I like my hair to be perfect, because if I get one like this in my eyes, I will get crazy,” she demonstrates by putting a tiny strand of hair in front of her face. She therefore sets her hair with lots of hairspray, not because she’s vain, but “because it’s disturbing me.”

Since the cameras show table tennis player’s hands a lot, especially when serving, she likes to keep them presentable often including a message, e. g., showcasing the colours of the Romanian flag. She hopes to have Munich 2022 lettered on her nails for the European Championships in Munich 2022, she announces with an ecstatic grin.

“At the table I never think about this, but before I go to this tournament of course I make an appointment to make my hair, to make my nails.” It makes her feel good, which is all that really matters. As long as her coaches, family and boyfriend know how much blood, sweat and tears she puts in she can ignore the unasked for replies online. “The people who comment like that, they don’t do anything in their life. […] They are not happy with their life, and they try to make others feel bad.” But she won’t give them that satisfaction anymore or every again. “These comments also motivate me to prove that they are not right.”

WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHS

Her true weaknesses and flaws lie elsewhere, like her lack in height. Szőcs is only 1,59 metres tall but knows how to work around that athletic deficit. “I stay close at the table. I try to keep myself next to the table, because if I go so far […] I don’t have the same power.”

And Szőcs knows she is powerful, a true force in her own right. During her career she has had to endure many fractures, abrasions and tears. The turning point came when she won the European Junior Championships in 2012 with an injured triceps. “I am one player, who never gives up. Everybody knows that I’m screaming after every ball I’m winning.”

GAME TACTIC

Almost every point is rehearsed, as the Romanian likes to be ahead and prepared. After each tournament she and her coach inspect each play. “He tells me what I made bad and what were my mistakes in the game. And then I am trying to practice this mistake until I feel like it is working.” Szőcs won’t leave anything to chance.

Whenever she goes to a tournament, she re-watches games of other athletes she’s likely to go head-to-head with another time. “I am watching what I have to play the same to win again.” But the other players are usually doing the exact same thing. “So, I always prepare a minimum of two to three tactics against a player, never just one.” It might seem excessive, but the reasoning is simple and logical. “If I prepare just one it can be that after one or two games she knows. And then, what do I do?” But even cracking the first code on her tactic isn’t the easy. “The ball is coming in all ways.”

That isn’t the only thing other table tennis players have told her, however. “So many people told me that in my eyes, when I look at [my] adversary, they think that I hate them.” The icy stare is calculated, but not purposely vengeful. “I’m looking to their face to see if they are afraid or if they are stressed.”

MUNICH 2022

Looking ahead to the European Championships Munich 2022 Szőcs herself isn’t bothered whatsoever. Having lived, trained and competed in Germany the loving dog mom feels like Germans truly care about sport, implementing new things and trying to be great hosts. “I think it’s unbelievably nice to have nine different European [Championships] at the same time. It’s something unbelievable.” She’s never had a big competition in Germany where she had anything serious to complain about. “So sure, it is very nice, but it’s also sad a little bit, because I cannot visit and to watch other sports.”

One of the other sports would have been a joy for Szőcs to follow live. “When I was small, I also did gymnastics and then table tennis. […] And then I had to decide which one I want. And I was like 100 percent table tennis.” As mentioned earlier, she doesn’t regret her decision, and has since learned that getting to go sightseeing or experiencing more of any given event as an athlete usually means you didn’t medal. Therefore, the plan is, as weird as it sounds, to not leave the table tennis bubble. “If I am focused and if I give all my power and if I’m in my best shape my goal is to be European Champion in single, mixed double and double.”

But it won’t be easy, since there is a broad range of top-notch athletes in Europe, who have the potential to stand on the podium. That elite crew includes the reigning European champion Petrissa Soulja. They’ve faced each other in multiple finals, so one might think that there is no love lost between them, but quite the opposite is true: “We’re like sisters and I love her so much.” Szőcs even hugged the German player directly after losing to her in the Europe Top 16 final in 2019. She’d do it all over again in a heartbeat: “I would love to play the [Munich 2022] final with my sister.” And the two had been on the phone for an hour the day of our exclusive interview. Szőcs’ eyes mirror nothing but all-encompassing love talking about her dear friend. “Sometimes I won, sometimes she won, but we never became adversaries outside of the table.” “Nothing can change our relationship.”

GOALS BEYOND THE ETTU EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Since the grand achievements of the Romanian team have been rolling in the sport has gained traction in their home country. “Every week we’re [players of Romanian national team] in TV somehow.” The objective to give the sport a boost nationally has succeeded.

But she is aiming for more. “My goal is to be top 10 in the world, and if it’s possible top 5 in the world,” and an Olympic medal in Paris. Even some Chinese coaches have let her know that she’s capable of such a feat.

Some of her initial goals have come to fruition already. For instance, she was the first to play with a very unconventional tint. “I am the image of the pink rubber, and I’m very happy because it’s my favourite colour.” The actual achievement was the TIBHAR blade with her name though. “This made me proud, and gives me more strength to fight, because not everyone has a racket with her name.”