BOLZANO – The day of glory has gone and life goes on as usual again. Marco Zanetti, 62. from Bolzano, Italy, is back from the World Cup in Sharm El Sheikh, where he finished with a sensational victory as one of the figureheads of the older generation. He won the final against Eddy Merckx, another headliner in three-cushion, he beat Torbjörn Blomdahl and Frédéric Caudron, among others, in the run-up to the final. But life goes on as usual again for Marco Zanetti, like he says in an interview with Kozoom after he won his fifth World Cup in his career and is in the top ten all-time. ’’I am away from home 100 to 120 nights per year, I have to practice more than in my younger years, but I like to walk, to play sports, I don't drink alcohol and when I am at home, I live a quiet life.’' These are just some statements from the last World Cup winner who often in his career hovered between extremes of an enfant terrible and an amiable sportsman.
The ranking position, after his victory in Sharm, brings some rest again. Zanetti is on positions 6, 7 and 8 with Merckx and Blomdahl, in the middle of the elite of the top ten. And he will soon close the year without worrying about automatic seedings for World Cups and other main championships.
Kozoom, as always every two or three years, spoke to the maestro again, shortly after his return from the World Cup resort and with some free weeks ahead. Do you finally have time for family, family, friends? ,,Definitely, but not only, because of course I have to train more than before if I want to maintain a good level. It takes total dedication and physical commitment to overcome the problems that come with getting older.‘’
Kozoom/Frits Bakker: What a relief it must have been, to be back on top of a World Cup after beating a bunch of famous players in the two decisive days. Can you describe what your inner feeling was in these two wonderful days? What happened when the victory and the relief were there, the joy for winning, how happy were you, who did you celebrate this final victory. in the arena, later on the phone?
Marco Zanetti: The best thing I did was to handle the moments where I was sitting and my opponent was at the table. I kept calm without getting too nervous, staying focused and confident, waiting for the next opportunity to come to the table. I celebrate by spending hours responding to the hundreds of congratulatory messages I received and the interviews I had to answer. Kind of a strange celebration, isn't it?
Kozoom/FB: Was there more pressure for this World Cup, more tension because of the climbing years and the ranking position, which was not completely carefree?
Marco Zanetti: Absolutely yes, the pressure was a lot but in these moments I often manage to be at my best.
Kozoom/FB: How do you feel by the way, this year in the campaign of the big events? Are you physically well, mentally strong, without complaints, can your hand carry out what your eyes see and your mind indicates?
Marco Zanetti: Time passes and not to my advantage. What good that came automatically when I was young, today is the result of commitment and a lot of preparation, not only technical but also physical.
Kozoom/FB: What do you see when you look around you at the players from your generation, the established European elite? Have they become more vulnerable, is there a certain wear and tear on movements, vision, is it harder work to stay at the top?
Marco Zanetti: The general level of play continues to rise, and it is getting harder and harder for the European masters to stay at the top. The years go by for everyone, and the physical problems of sight and arm become more acute for everyone. To always perform at a high level becomes more and more difficult for all players of the older generation.
Kozoom/FB: Which moral advantage do you, the European guys, have over the young players from Korea, Vietnam and other foreighn billiard countries?
Marco Zanetti: Experience, the habit of competing at the highest level that, combined with great playing practice, allows us to efficiently manage the highlights of matches.
Kozoom/FB: The victory in Sharm, is that a complete coincidence, because all the good things came together, or is the very best MZ at the table still able to beat all the greats?
Marco Zanetti: It is a combination of several factors, it takes a lot of skill but also some luck. I could have already lost to Bury at 1/8, then to Caudron at 1/4 but this time they were the ones who made mistakes and allowed me to finish the matches brilliantly.
Kozoom/FB: Tell us honestly: what did it do to you to beat your illustrious, former team mates from the famous Agipi team this weekend in magnificent battles?
Marco Zanetti: I simply feel a subtle satisfaction, merely considering the sporting aspect of victory, nothing more. In general I may not even agree with certain character aspects of some of my colleagues, however, in the end respect for everyone's freedom of expression prevails . Everyone has his own history and past that we do not know. Against Blomdahl, along with the match against Glenn Hofman, I played my best billiards in Sharm el Sheikh. I was able to find the technical nuances that made me feel completely comfortable during those matches.
Kozoom/FB: How could it be that you were so super strong when you played TB, who is of the same vintage, and on the same time TB slipped through the ice? Can top billiards be so mild and kind for one while being so ruthless to others? Can the difference be so big in one match?
Marco Zanetti: Making a lot of points and playing some defense at times is always the best way to put pressure on the opponent. Torbjorn could not get into the match because from the beginning I was able to dominate the game, he had few favorable positions and could not take advantage of them. Sometimes billiards can be terribly frustrating for all of us! I remember a personal defeat against Caudron in a semi-final of the Lausanne Billard Masters in 2016 by 14-40 and also my success again against him in the final of the 2017 European Championship by 40-14 (thanks Carompedia!).
Kozoom/FB: What remains, in these later years, of the capricious MZ in character, of the player who is and can sometimes be an enfant terrible and at the same times an extremely amiable sportsman?
Marco Zanetti: I've noticed that it's getting harder and harder for me not to think about my advancing age and not to take it as justification for not being able to perform well. On the other hand, a part of me continues to be the boy I was and I still feel a lot of young energy inside me .
Kozoom/FB: Still, before the World Cup final in Sharm, rumors were once again flying around: Marco does not want to play with Bilo Salama, a world-class Egyptian referee. Is that story right?
Marco Zanetti: Bilo is a dear friend but in the past I had to accept some of his ’controversial’ refereeing decisions that unfortunately hurt me. As fate would have it, it always happened when he was refereeing me and at one point, two years ago, we had talked about it together calmly. He had told me, smiling, that he would not referee me in the future, and I had believed him. So I was surprised now to see him enter the arena in the second part of the final against Merckx and that destabilized me mentally. I asked for a change of referee but after a while I was told that I had no power to ask for it so I had to continue playing without seeing my wish granted. However, all's well that ends well and our embrace after the final says it all.
Kozoom/FB: What does the life of a sixty-and-older man in top billiards look like these days, Marco. How often on the road, what do you do to maintain your fitness, the eating pattern, the drinking pattern? What do you do when you are home in Bolzano? Do you have time for family, family, friends?
Marco Zanetti: Life continues as usual, I spend 100-120 nights a year away from home . Today I have to train more than before, it takes total commitment and dedication to billiards. And it also needs more physical commitment to overcome the problems associated with advancing age. But okay, I live a very peaceful life when I'm home, devoting myself to the new house and the daily chores for the family. Fortunately, my family understands this and they also have very intense rhythms so there are no problems.
Kozoom/FB: Why, because it is remarkable, do you actually have so many friends in Colombia?
Marco Zanetti: In Colombia I feel like I'm in my second home, I like the people, I have so many wonderful friends there who make me feel so good. The affection for billiards is amazing there! When I could, many years ago, I always tried to help the most deserving good Colombian players, taking them to Longoni and opening a door for their recognition. This rumor has spread to Colombia and maybe that's why people love me so much there. Now things are a little better for the country, one of the biggest for billiards worldwide, but in the past it was almost impossible for the players to be able to dedicate themselves to billiards like here in Europe.
Kozoom/FB: We all know the secret of Raymond Ceulemans, already a man in his eighties now, do you ever look at your future and how long you are going to do this?
Marco Zanetti: At the moment I continue to do competitive billiards but when I stop I will probably stay active in other ways. I don't like to plan much for the future and I am fortunate that I can always live in the present. Our billiards fortunately continues to be well alive in social reality. I see a lot of passion and great talent around the world-Vietnam, Korea, Colombia, Mexico just to name the most important countries-who unfortunately cannot even come to play UMB tournaments, which are too expensive for them. The real problem is Europe, there is a lack of generational change, but we also have to recognize that our continent completely lacks a European circuit that would motivate all practitioners to try harder. The PBA continues on its path, I really like the quality TV their footage, and it would be nice to be able to organize something together. But perhaps that is a wish which is not to realize. Still, what I see is that development of ladies billiard is impressive, PBA has been very important in that.
Kozoom/FB: Can you take a look at international three-cushion for the outside world? How do you look at the current UMB, the PBA, the development in Europe and in Asia?
Marco Zanetti: This question is very important and deserves a separate article. We must all strive to ensure maximum fairness in sports and justice.
The thing that bothers me most is to see so many good players fail to register for UMB tournaments because the list of participants is already full of names one minute after registration opens . This is a source of frustration for so many good players. We need quality as well as quantity, I have made proposals to this effect, asking for the opening of registrations to strong players first and weaker players later, but my proposal was not even considered, unfortunately. I am repeating it here on this occasion, taking advantage of this interview and stating my willingness to explain it better to decision makers.
Kozoom/FB: Thank you, Marco, and to end with the traditional question: does MZ still have ambitions to become president of the UMB?
Marco Zanetti: Becoming President of a World Federation is an onerous position full of life-changing responsibilities . More than one player has asked me this, perhaps a little jokingly, but I love billiards competition so much. And ’political billiards’ a lot less. I am often in contact with the executive world and I see in general little collaboration, poor communication, and significant difficulties in internal relations. Being a billiard executive is not a task to which one can aspire with joy but only out of a sense of responsibility.
Thank you Marco Zanetti.
