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Masahiro Yanagida - Real Sports
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Article: real-sports.jp/page/articles/…
Published: June 22, 2021
Article by: Noriko Yonemushi

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Masahiro Yanagida, who was not elected to the national team, talks about why he is still moving forward: "I think this is a turning point for the people who have been supporting me..."

On May 18, Masahiro Yanagida, who had been the captain until last year, was not among the (+)

(+) 17 registered members of the Japanese national team for the Nations League 2021 announced by the International Volleyball Federation. Yuichi Nakagaichi, the coach of the Japanese national team, had publicly stated that he would choose the 12 players who would participate (+)

(+) in the Tokyo Olympics from the members of the Nations League, so their exclusion from this tournament meant that their path to the Tokyo Olympics was cut off.

Yanagida spent three seasons honing his skills in Germany and Poland, and his return to Suntory Sunbirds last (+)

(+) season was a decision made with the Tokyo Olympics in mind. That dream was cut short, but on the day the Nations League squad was announced, Yanagida sent out positive words and encouragement to the Japanese national team on social media. How can he do that...?

We asked Yanagida, who has already started walking toward his next goal, about what's on his mind.

[ Possibility of a more exciting season with an eye on the world ]

- Last season, after returning from overseas for the first time in four seasons, you won the V-League (+)

(+) championship with the Suntory Sunbirds. And you recently announced that you have renewed your contract with Suntory for the 2021-22 season. Please tell us why you chose to play for Suntory again this season.

Yanagida: We won the championship once last season, so of course we want to win the league again as the defending champion, and we also have the goal of winning the triple crown (V-League, Emperor's Cup, and Black Eagle Flag). As for the triple crown, we were not able to do (+)

(+) it last season due to various circumstances (they withdrew from the Emperor's Cup due to the confirmation of a positive case of the new coronavirus within the team, and the Kurowashiki was canceled due to the spread of coronavirus infection), so we would like to challenge (+)

(+) that again.

In addition to that, Suntory (as the V-League champion) got the right to participate in the Asian Club Championship, which gives us a chance to challenge the world through Asia as a club. I've also played in a European cup competition (CEV Cup) in (+)

(+) United Volleys in Frankfurt (where he was a member of the 2019-20 season), which was very exciting for me. For me, it was very appealing to have a new challenge, to see how far we could go in the club championship.

- If you will win the Asian Club Championship, you can participate in the World Club Championship after that, right?

Yanagida: That's right. If we get to first place. I myself have only had experience playing against overseas teams in the national team and overseas clubs, (+)

(+) so playing on such a stage as Suntory is a big challenge for me and for the team, and I hope I can grow through it. I think it will be a bigger challenge than last season and potentially a more exciting season.

[ It's a turning point for those who support me. ]

- Turning to Japan's national team, when the members of the Nations League were announced in May, you wrote positive thoughts on your supporters' club blog and personal SNS immediately afterward, calling for support for the (+)

(+) national team. I was amazed at how you were able to do such a thing when you could not even think about anything else after your big goal to the Tokyo Olympics was cut off.

Yanagida: The fact that there are people who receive what I sent out is my personal focus. I felt (+)

(+) supported by the fact that there were many people like that, including my fans.

When I was first told (that I had not been selected), I was of course shocked and wondered how I was going to sort out my feelings, but by the time I sent out the news, a lot of time had (+)

(+) already passed. By then, I was able to report directly to various people that "this is what happened," and I received positive words from everyone, which gradually made me more optimistic. In the midst of all this, there are many people who always send me messages on (+)

(+) my blog, etc., so I felt that I had to properly convey my current feelings to them.

I don't necessarily think it's right to be so open, but I personally thought it was a turning point not only for me, but also for the people who support me, so I wrote about my honest (+)

(+) feelings like that on social media and in my blog, hoping that those people would be able to look forward to the future, although I don't know if it's the right way to say that we're moving forward together.

- I see. It's been a little while since you were told. After all, it took you a long time to sort out your feelings.

Yanagida: I was told this the night after the Red and White games (May 8 and 9) in Takasaki. That's the direction of the team, and it's something I can't (+)

(+) control, so it can't be helped. I used to think that I was a fast learner, but this time I think it took me longer than ever before. It won't take more than a month, but I'm going to take it easy and rest until I feel like playing volleyball again. There was definitely a (+)

(+) problem with my condition, so I just thought about refreshing myself while keeping an eye on that as well. We're amidst the pandemic, so I can't go anywhere, but I've been kind of taking it easy until I get on my feet.

[ I guess I should have been more persistent in trying to get the slot. ]

- Did you no longer want to play volleyball?

Yanagida: It wasn't so much that I didn't want to do it anymore, but that I needed to redefine my next goal. Of course, up until now, I had been aiming for (+)

(+) the Tokyo Olympics and I knew that once that was over, I would have to start planning again for the future, but now I had to do it a little ahead of time. It was simply a point of passage for me, or rather, the loss of it, and where to put the next point of transition first.

I was trying to figure out how to recover my motivation for it.

- Of course, the selection process is out of the athlete's control, but since you've been so focused on the Olympics, did an overwhelming sense of "Why?" occurred to you?

Yanagida: In my mind, I thought that "Why?" was a waste of effort. All this time. So, not much about that. It just means that there was nothing that could convince the staff, and that's the way the world is. I think that's simply it.

It may be a good mindset for a professional to have that "why?" but there is no answer to that question. You can't move forward if you keep facing things that have no answers. I think that's why I'm able to switch quickly. In fact, I think all the players remaining now are (+)

(+) playing well (in the Nations League). So I don't have any thoughts about that.

- However, I was a little surprised that you're not included in the Nations League team, because I thought that the VNL was an opportunity for you to appeal for selection for the Olympics.

Yanagida: Hmmm... Well, my body is not the type that comes back (to condition) so quickly, so I was certainly thinking about moving my body around with one point in mind, to perform in the Nations League. There may have been a gap between myself and the staff there, but (+)

(+) I still think I should have brought myself to communicate with them about that. They would talk about what to do before entering the camp, for example. That's how persistent I should have been in trying to get a spot in the Olympics.

[ What was discussed with Kunihiro Shimizu and Tatsuya Fukuzawa? ]

- I heard that you talked with Kunihiro Shimizu and Tatsuya Fukuzawa the night before you left the national team.

Yanagida: Yes. Fukuzawa-san and I were in the same room, and Shimizu-san came to join us. (+)

(+) I've been working with both of them for a long time, and Shimizu-san got injured and had to leave, but he was able to come back. The two of them have taken very good care of me, so I think my personal attachment to them is stronger than that of the other players.

When they heard that I was going to drop out, they took the time to talk to me, and I thought that was enough for me (laughs). I was happy.

We need to realize how important the process has been, find value in it, and continue to move forward. I was told that it's not a lie, (+)

(+) but a certainty, and that it would help me in my next step. I'm sure they both had that experience many times before. Because of their words, I was able to make sense of the situation, and after taking a break for a while, I was able to look forward to rebuilding the (+)

(+) process again with that in mind.

It's a grand story, but I felt again at that moment that I was really happy to have met the two of them and to have been able to play volleyball with them. I'm really glad that I was able to work with such people on the same court and in (+)

(+) the same situation.

[ Sometimes people ask me, "Aren't you frustrated?"... ]

- Have you been watching the Nations League that is currently being held?

Yanagida: I'm watching. I bought a subscription package that allows me to watch all the games online (laughs). (+)

(+) I especially want to see the matches between the strongest players. The other day, during the Russia-France game, Dima (Suntory teammate Dmitry Muserskiy) was playing as an opposite player, and I was watching the game thinking, "I hope he doesn't get injured" (laughs).

- And the Japan game?

Yanagida: I'm watching, I'm watching.

- Is there a possibility that you don't want to watch it?

Yanagida: I don't think so. Sometimes people ask me, "Aren't you frustrated?". Not really, I think it's a waste of energy. I can't appear anymore. (+)

(+) So even if I think, "It's frustrating!", I'm not the type to turn it into energy. Rather, it is more interesting to see what kind of volleyball they are playing from an outside perspective. I think that's optimistic (laughs).

The young people who are in the group now are really talented. I think they are more powerful than when I was a youngster, so it will be interesting to see how these players respond to each game. I think that the opponents they are facing now are probably the first time for (+)

(+) them to experience such high levels. There are some situations where the attacks you've been going through aren't working, and you hope you don't get injured or something. There are times when I look at them and they seem a little down.

I am looking at it objectively, which is different from when we were working together on the court. In the past, for example, when Nishida (Yuji) came in for the first time, I would have felt like I had to do my part and try to inspire him, but now I simply watch the matches (+)

(+) from the outside, imagining what kind of condition he is in. That's something that hasn't happened in the past few years, so it's something new. "Ishikawa (Yuki) is screaming.", "That's great. You're the captain.", I can see the changes in their behaviors and I can see (+)

(+) how things have changed.

- Yuki Ishikawa's appearance on the court is a little different from before.

Yanagida: I don't think it's different. it's been like that since the World Cup (in 2019). I don't think he's had much time to adjust this year (+)

(+) (since Serie A Milan season ended), but he's still doing a great job, which I think is amazing.

- Ishikawa took over as the captain of the team this year. Have you had any contact with him?

Yanagida: I didn't see him at the camp, but I talked to him once on the phone. (+)

(+) I even told him to do his best, and as Ishikawa said in the interview, "I want to become a captain who can bring out the best in everyone." is what he also told me, and I really feel it when I see him on the court.

[ Next goal. The 2024 Paris Olympics... ]

- As you mentioned earlier, while you were away from the national team for a while, did you decide on your next goal?

Yanagida: First of all, I would like to talk about my goals at Suntory, which I mentioned earlier. The contract (+)

(+) with Suntory is a big deal for me, and it's very important to me as a business partner or client. I think my contract was renewed after they evaluated me as a professional, so we both have to be demanding of each other. I had to make sure that I was prepared to give (+)

(+) a good performance, so I used that as motivation to come back one more time. Next time, I would like to make it a time for people to appreciate me as a player by winning consecutive championships.

- Beyond that, do you have the 2024 Olympics in Paris in your sights?

Yanagida: I'm not sure. So far, I haven't thought that far ahead. There are no representatives yet for next year. I think that will become clearer in the future, depending on what happens to me. (+)

(+) If you can see it, you can see it, and then you can start to get results again in the national team every season. Beyond that, the Olympics is in sight, and I think it's going to be even harder because we have qualifying next. I want to make sure that we don't have (+)

(+) another repeat of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics (where we lost in the final qualifying round). If I'm needed in Paris, I'd like to work hard again, but that's really up to the staff to decide, as I said before. I have no control over it.

I just keep trying to improve my condition and get better all the time, that's all. Also, what kind of relationship can I build with the people who are directly involved with me? I would like to push forward with those things that I can do.

[end]