LUXOR - Shortly before his departure from Luxor, where Filippos Kasidokostas tried to make his comeback in the World Cup cycle this week, the former world champion wanted to tell his story. The Greek was criticized after his performance in the match against Ahmet Bayatli. ,, But it all had to do with the pain that I felt'', he says in a comment. ,,I was not unfair, absolutely not. I only said to my opponent: Sorry, I'm going to play with my left hand.''
Whatever was said and suggested after the match, mainly on the Kozoom chat by people who watched the match: Filippos Kasidokostas really wanted to win, he certainly didn't miss on purpose, he just played in the second part of the match with the handicap that he couldn't use his good, right arm. The powerlessness feeling he expressed and the discouragement at the end of the match, was no more than a form of anger. ,,I was disappointed in myself. I feel terrible because I can't play billiards as I want with this pain in my arm.''
The vibrations, caused by problems with the nerves and muscles, have forced him to stay away from competitions for more than a year. There are lots of friends and insiders who still believe in Kasidokostas' comeback as a world-class player. The Greek federation president Nick Trémoulis says about his favourite player: ,,Filippos is a super talent, he is unique in the world of three-cushion with the way he can move the balls.''
He is a bit erratic and sometimes hard to understand for the outside world. Ahmet Bayatli, his opponent in the controversial match. ,,Filippos is a friend, a very sporty and nice person. I can understand his frustration. But I don't blame him at all that he eventually won the match. And no... he did not miss on purpose one carom from the end. He only came to me with an apology and told me that he continued playing with his left arm because of the pain. He wanted me to say that it certainly was not a lack of respect towards me. I thanked him after our match, because he is a gentleman, a sportsman.''
Kasidokostas: ,,I had no power in my right arm and missed some easy balls with my left arm. That's why I looked despondent. Do you know how big my disappointment is? I was hopeful for my comeback, because I seemed to improve with the arm, I felt less pain the last few months. But here, in Luxor, I felt that playing matches in a major tournament is different, actually I could not continue the match, so intense was the pain.''
,,I saw Filippos struggling'', Bayatli said later. ,,The reactions, from people who criticized him, were not right. He was tormented by that arm, that obstructed him in his playing. Filippos is a world-class player, a former world champion who deserves all respect. I sincerely hope that he will return to the world top quickly.''
The Greek doesn't want to go into details about his serious injury. He explains that the nerves and muscles cause the vibrations when he plays one or more matches. He has been to doctors and hospital many times. ,,The problem is the same for now.'' The only option that remains, for the time being, is that Kasidokostas saves his right arm and plays with left. He can't and doesn't want to live without billiards. ,,I feel unhappy for now, of course, but I want to continue my career.'' There is no other perspective to overcome the problem.
,,I keep on playing with my French team, very soon in the European Cup and in other competitions. Because I don't want to miss it. I'm going to play mixed, is my intention: sometimes with right, sometimes with left. There is no other way.''
The story in Luxor was later, that the Greek first had announced his redraw, but then, a few hours later, retracted his decision when the Turk Ahmet Alp was already designated as a substitute. Filippos: ,,I told Farouk Barky, the tournament leader, in a first impulse that I would stop playing, but it was right after the match. Many players came to me to tell me: don't stop playing, go on with your left hand. So I tried to remain in the tournament. It was refused and it was right, I am sorry for that.''
Filipos Kasidokostas in his match in Luxor where he couldn't play with his right arm because of the pain.
