Do you have any goals that you want to accomplish still? Like the Olympic gold medal?
Tom: No. I’m happy with where I am and what I am doing right now. Obviously, it would be nice to have it (the Olympic gold medal). But I don’t know what I will do with the national team right now. Everything is up in the air.
Have you lost some of your passion for the game after playing for so many years?
Tom: Everyone has different stages of passion. You cannot maintain that early feeling after doing it for a long time. When you get older, you change with time.
You are determined and even aggressive on the court. But off the court you hang around to shake hands with your opponents and have pictures taken with fans for as long as they want. There seems to be a contrast there?
Tom: The players are worth a lot of respect. When you are on the court, you try as hard as you can to win. But when it’s finished, it’s finished. I just think it’s a good ending that way. For the fans, they support me a lot. They cheer for me and they cheer for my team. That’s the best I can do. People just judge the players by how they react on the court. Of course, during the match I always try my best, I don’t like losing and that’s why I may appear aggressive.
Your grandfather was from China and you won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, fans here like you very much. How do you like the connection to China?
Tom: I have to say that before the Beijing Olympics we hadn’t spent much time in China. We had Chinese food growing up. I’ve been here pretty much for volleyball and, like I said, I enjoy staying here. It is a very fast-growing country. People work very hard here. It’s an upcoming country.
What do you do in your leisure time?
Tom: Play cards, lots of reading. I bought a guitar but have never really played it. When I am home I like to go on road trips.
Source: vertexvolley.com
