Handball player Groetzki: "I've never seen him in this form"

The national coach couldn't stop raving.

"I've never seen him in this form," said Alfred Gislason, "he's outstanding for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen and has excellent quotas.

He's showing that here in training too – he hasn't had a miss so far.” Gislason normally finds it easier to praise opposing players and to warn against them.

This time, however, he praised someone from his own ranks, even attesting to Patrick Groetzki's "shape of his life".

Gislason said: "Yes, we have rejuvenated.

But I don't want to do without him at all."

Now the right winger of the lions is back in the circle of the national handball team, as the oldest professional of these training days in Frankfurt, which starts with the games as part of the EHF Euro Cup against Sweden this Thursday (7 p.m. at Sport 1) in Mannheim and in Jaén on Saturday (8:15 p.m. at sportschau.de) against Spain.

debuted in 2009

"It feels strange," says Groetzki, 33, "I'm the oldest, but it doesn't feel like I was the youngest for long.

I've already thought about the fact that there are now some youngsters who I don't know personally - and I was looking forward to getting to know Julian Köster Bratislava.

Groetzki was missing.

Now he's back: "Alfred wants to realign the team with young players.

But there aren't that many alternatives on the right wing.

And now he was nominated based on performance.” Groetzki made his debut in 2009 under national coach Heiner Brand.

After that he was almost always among the chosen ones;

missed the title at the European Championships in 2016, but was at least part of the Olympic bronze in the same year.

Most recently, however, his club's weakness had also scratched his DHB career;

the lions have two difficult years behind them, Groetzki went from a regular player to a shaky candidate under the national coaches Christian Prokop and now Gislason.

Most of the Melsunger Timo Kastening was set on right wing.

He is now missing after his cruciate ligament injury, and Groetzki has moved up again.

Although he would probably have been invited if Kastening could have played.

"Despite some disappointments, I never finished with the national team," says Groetzki, "I would have liked to have been part of the Olympics in Tokyo.

But I didn't think about retiring."

Don't get stuck on mistakes

He has scored 31 goals in seven Bundesliga games in this young season, 80 percent quota, the lions are first with 14:0 points.

He says: "I was quite happy with my performance in the years before that, but if things don't go well in the club, it doesn't really matter." Groetzki has been promoted to captain with the lions, which is also an honor in his 15th year at the club for club loyalty, and says: "I just feel good.

I've made one or two steps forward and I'm playing more stable."

As always, he took care of his fitness in the summer to start the season well.

“I also worked with a mental coach to take a step forward.

That bears good fruit.” Even in his 154 international matches, there were games in which Groetzki let himself be thrown off course by freely given shots and couldn't hit anything anymore.

After the inevitable misses, he wants to focus on the next attack, the next action, without getting stuck mentally on the mistake.

For Gislason, Groetzki and the national team against Sweden and Spain it is all about gaining momentum for the World Cup in Poland and Sweden in January.

Qualifying games for the EM 2024 would actually be the order of the day, but since this is taking place in Germany, the hosts and Sweden as European champions and Denmark and Spain as EM second and third are sure to be there and play a round of games with a return leg.

Of course Patrick Groetzki hopes to be there in January.

He is a valued colleague, someone who keeps his cool, someone you ask for advice, someone who brings life experience with him.

At home, his wife Jenny has his back.

When it comes to looking after the little twins Emma and Mila, Groetzki feels that he has equal rights: "We divide up the care, like all families do these days," he says, "the issue of combining family and work is also a big issue for us, because my wife is also self-employed.”

But she is proud of him when he shows up in the DHB jersey, supports him and there are also all four grandparents near the place of residence who actively help.

So Patrick Groetzki would be ready for a successful World Cup in January.

But first he wants to enjoy the games in his own arena ("I've been going there once a week for 15 years.") and then in Spain.