Samsonov keen to carry on playing

Table tennis veteran Vladimir Samsonov, who turned 40 last April, is no mood to give up the sport that has made him a household name across Europe.
The six-time Olympian lost at the semi-finals stage at the Rio Games in August this year, an exit that bothers the world number 8.
"It is very disappointing that I couldn't go beyond the semis," Samsonov said yesterday as he prepares to feature at this week's ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.
"My whole life, I wanted to win an Olympics gold medal but I only reached the semis in Rio," he said.
"There are some goals that I have still not achieved," he added quickly.
Excerpts from a chat with the Belarussian star:
Question: What do you think about the draw here in Doha?
Samsonov: Only top players are here. Everyone here is capable of beating anyone. Considering other options, there are players here who have troubled me and some of the players whom I have beaten. In some way, I think the draw in the first round is quite good.
Question: Would you fancy your chances this week?
Samsonov: Well, If I win the first round, then I could think about it. Now I have to concentrate on the first round.
Question: How do you look back at 2016?
Samsonov: Overall the year 2016 was amazing for me. There were so many positive things like I started the year really well. I was second at the German Open. That was a good result. I was playing well for most part of the season. Then I reached the semi-finals at the Olympic Games in Rio. It was my sixth Olympic Games and my best result at the Games. It was really special. There were crazy matches. In the quarter-finals, I damaged my ribs. I had to go the hospital also. I won that match but I had problems to continue. If you have a rib injury, you have trouble playing top-spin. My chances (of winning a gold) decreased after that.
Question: What keeps you going at this age?
Samsonov: There are many things that matter. For me, my family matters a lot. My wife and children give me a lot of positive energy. Of course, I love table tennis. There are some goals that I have still not achieved. There are so many things. You have to be lucky and you have to meet so many right people at the right time. When I started playing table tennis, nobody in my family played this sport.
Question: After six Olympic Games, is seventh a possibility since you are yet to achieve some personal goals?
Samsonov: My whole life, I wanted to win an Olympics gold medal and I reached the semis in Rio. On the other hand it is very disappointing that I couldn't go beyond the semis. A few times, I did well at Olympic Games. This time I was in the semis. On the other hand, if I had won the gold medal, I may have not continued playing this sport. I may have been doing something else. There are always two sides to a story (smiles).
Question: How do you see the evolution of the sport from the time you played your first Olympic Games in 1996?
Samsonov: There have been many changes in the rules of the sport over the years. In 2000, they made the balls bigger. They increased the size of the ball. I think the idea behind that move was good because they wanted to slow down the game. It was also done to make the balls visible for the spectators and for the viewers on television. But on the other hand, the quality of the balls became worse. The quality of the game also suffered as the players started to make more mistakes, especially when the bounce was not regular. Then there were changes in 2008 when they changed the equipment. Table tennis became more physical. When you compare the game from the 90s, the speed has decreased. We have more time in a game. I am not sure if we have longer rallies now but equipment has become better and faster. The players were always fit. But if you have to be on top, you have to play aggressively. In the 90s, you could win by being defensive but now you can't do that with a passive game. Today if you do that game where you just chop, you can't compete. Today the players attack. They have very strong aggressive games.
Question: Is there any doping concern in your game?
Samsonov: Well, table tennis is very clean. I don't know there are any problems regarding this issue. It has always been a clean sport.
Question: Do you think the Chinese domination would ever wane?
Samsonov: Things change. If I remember correctly, in the 90s there were a lot of Europeans who had a lot of chances to win World Championships, win the big titles. Since 2000, China became stronger and stronger and now it seems impossible to beat them. But who knows. If you go back, to the 80s and 70s, Chinese and Japanese were the best and then the Swedes came and dominated. Players probably have to work harder (smiles). I don't remember the time when I really won against a top Chinese player (laughs).