Jokin Altuna rested yesterday after winning the ticket to the Manomanista final on Sunday. But his head is already in the final on the 13th at the Bizkaia fronton in which he will face a pelotari like Artola whom he has known since they were little. However, in the peak crash “there is no room for sentimentality.”
– Eighth final in five years, third for Manomanista. Do you believe it?
– I know that I am achieving very important things, but in the seven years that I have been in the ball I have learned that when things go well it is not much use to get excited, and when things do not turn out to be spinning, it does not lead to anything. I have a match in two weeks and I am focused on it, on training well and doing my best.
– Is it hard for you to think about the final?
– No. This year with so much competition there is no time for celebrations or lamentations.
– What have you done well in this championship?
– Many things, especially in the first game against Ezkurdia. It was very demanding. Because on Sunday until 12-0 the match was very fast. To reach a heads-up final you have to do a lot of things well. Not only in the serve and in the rest, also in the rally. And physically the sensations have been good.
– What does it mean to play for another heads-up txapela?
– When I started at 18 I did not expect to play a final in this specialty and at 25 I have already had three. You could see that physically it was going to cost me because I have always been of late evolution. When you improve your strength it shows.
– Based on your record, are you at full maturity?
– In recent years I have been having good results because I feel better. Like everyone, I have different phases throughout the season, but I’m being regular and that’s why the results come. I’m also getting lucky with the injuries.
– Is that regularity learned over the years?
– Experience tells me that, whatever happens, you have to keep working the same way.
– Getting the peaks of form in each championship is not easy.
– We are playing almost every week and the body does not respond the same. It is impossible to always be well and less this year that we have had four championships in a very short time. I had a month in the Couples that I was fairer and it showed, but in general I am happy.
– Has this tournament raised the pace of your game one point?
– I’m touching the ball a little more with my right and looking for the bottom hand. I have seen that playing more aggressive I do more damage and things are going well for me. We will see the final. Last year I played well but a little more classic.
– The last four editions of the Manomanista have had as many champions.
– He’s good for the ball. There is a very great equality and that indicates that in matches anything can happen, and for the spectator it is also good.
I’m being more aggressive and doing more damage. Last year I played more classical »
rhythm
“If Artola has now reached the top, it is because he has worked hard and deserved it”
the rival
“Give time to young people”
– Has the hegemony of only two pelotaris ended as before?
– When they happened, those pelotaris were already 30 years old and had a long career behind them. Now there are many young pelotaris and you have to give them time, so we will see later. The most complicated thing in sports is being up for many years.
– Has placing the raisin in square six and a half given the Manomanista another vision?
– Undoubtedly. It is very harmful for the pelotaris who have pumped serves, and it benefits the defenders because they subtract to the boat and are closer to the frontis. You have to adapt to changes.
– Given the performance of the defenders this year, can you begin to believe that this title is more feasible for them?
– They have already shown that they can beat anyone. Rezusta, Zabaleta and even Albisu, if he prepares it, have many conditions. You need to train a lot and today the calendar is very compressed, but they have plenty of capacity.
– On the 13th, a player who reaches a final for the first time will be measured. Is such a rival more affordable?
– I do not know. Experience tells me that anything can happen. When I played the first against Olaizola II, the Navarrese had a lot and I beat him. Last year Jaka played it for the first time and he beat me. For those who arrive for the first time, playing it behind closed doors is beneficial because when you leave the dressing room to the court and notice the murmur that is in the fronton it always gives you goosebumps. Without an audience, the peak crash is not fully experienced, but to play it is more comfortable.
– He is almost a neighbor of Artola and they have known each other since they were little. Does it benefit you or does it harm you?
– It’s good for the fans in the area, for the coaches we had in fans and for Gipuzkoa. The latest results show that things have been done very well in the ball schools and that it is no coincidence. When it comes to playing the final, the pressure is something you put on yourself, and you have to learn to cope with it.
– There is no sentimentality in a final.
– The other is always the rival, and in a peak crash even more so. So I am focused on my work.
– They debuted together but you exploded long before him.
– Now there is no patience with the pelotaris. Before they debuted later and played their first finals at the age of 25. Now with 23 if you are up and you do not reach a final, people criticize you. Artola has needed his time and with the injuries he has not been so lucky. And if he has reached the top now, it is because he has worked hard and deserved it.
– Have you seen him better than ever?
– Other years I have also seen him well, but at specific times things have not turned out. This year in each game I have seen him play in a different way. He is focused on what he has to do and he is sure that his brother as a boot keeper has given him confidence.
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