Achille Polonara has explained to la Gazzetta dello Sport the reasons behind his decision to retire from playing after trying to return following his long battle with illness. In the statements reported in the provided text, the former Italy forward says he realized he would never be the same player again and already opened the door to a future in coaching.
Polonara said he had started working on his physical recovery as early as January and had only recently begun handling the ball again. But during that process, he understood that the comeback would not allow him to return to his previous level, especially after going through two serious medical conditions.
“I had already started working physically in January,” Polonara said. He then added: “While training, I understood that I would never return to being the player I was before”. His clearest line came when he explained the final decision: “I was struggling to dribble properly with my right hand, and I’m no longer 20 years old: I have gone through two major illnesses, and it no longer made sense to take the risk”. He also said: “I wanted to be remembered for who I was on the court, not for who I would have become”.
The former Italian international, however, has no intention of leaving the game behind completely. “I would like to stay in basketball, and I’m thinking about a coaching career,” he explained. He also wanted to highlight the support he received in the hardest moments: “Even in the most difficult moments they came to visit me, and their closeness meant a lot”.
Commenta
Visualizza commenti