No, it was not a lucky period for Alessandro Graziani: first, close to August 15th, the great fear experienced in Munich, following the terrible fall of his partner Letizia Paternoster at the track cycling European Championships. Then, the gastroenteritis that blocked him in bed for a week, debilitating him and making him miss a slice of preparation, as well as two friendly tests: the one with Itas Trentino and the trip to Porto Viro with the Delta.
But now the hitter from Da Rold Logistics Belluno is ready to lock the drawer of misfortune. And to take back its place on the sports stage. Just like his girlfriend Paternoster: «Letizia is fine – says number 10 – she always surprises me because she manages to recover in humanly impossible times. Now she is in Montichiari, in retreat with the national team to try to participate in the World Cup: a goal that she has set herself and that I share. He has the potential, the strength and the talent to do it ».
Graziani is also on the way back: «But the gastroenteritis has left me quite a few aftermaths with consequent weight loss. I do not hide the fact that I am accusing a bit of the forced stop in the middle of the preparation: I struggle to keep up with the pace and even from a technical point of view I consider myself a bit behind. But I work to get back to my levels as soon as possible. And get ready for the first day of the championship ».
Too bad we missed the stimulating face to face with Trentino Volley, ennobled by an authentic crowd: «Such a turnout is a splendid sign. Many spectators reached the Spes Arena to admire Itas, but just as many to see what has changed compared to last season in the DRL. In addition, from what I was able to perceive, we played well, carefree and enjoyed ourselves in front of a high-profile opponent ».
Wednesday 21, in Lambioi, Graziani and his associates will return to the court to face the San Donà Volleyball Team: «I take the pre-season tests into consideration up to a certain point. There is training that arrives loaded with physical work, therefore more tired and less lucid. And the “lighter” one. Too many factors can be misleading. On the other hand, this is the phase in which a team experiments and sets goals unrelated to the result, but more oriented towards the desire to consolidate certain phases of the game: there is a mistake “.
