Club Volleyball

Rising star Tomislav Mitrašinović has high expectations for first season abroad

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Article Thu, Sep 23 2021

The 21-year-old, 206-cm tall Tomislav Mitrašinović is one of the youngest and most promising members of the Croatian men’s national team. After returning from EuroVolley, where Croatia finished a more than respectable 14th, Tomislav had a few days to rest before he embarks on his first professional season abroad.

Tomislav Mitrašinović in action at the qualifiers for this year's EuroVolley - playing as middle blocker

Tomislav has signed a two-year contract with Vero Volley MONZA, thus following in the footsteps of his friends from Team Croatia Tsimafei Zhukouski, Ivan Raič and Marko Sedlaček.

“Right now, I am just getting to know the club, the players and the professional staff. For me, this is all new, but I am looking forward to this challenge. Everything I have seen so far I really like - the hall in particular as well as the hotel where the players have their own apartments. Everyone in the club tries very hard to support me in the first days, and I am already slowly mastering the first words in Italian, which bodes well for the future.”


Tomislav can count on the valuable advice of his friends who spent some time in Monza as well. “Tsimafei, Marko and especially Ivan, whom I call Ćaća (father), have helped me a lot with their advice, because he is older and much more experienced than me, and we were roommates in the national team all summer long. I learned a lot from him, because he also plays in my position as opposite. I learned a lot and his advice is extremely important.”

Actually, Tomislav played as a middle blocker in the second half of the last club season with Mladost as well as with Team Croatia – always under the guidance of Emanuele Zanini.

“It will take some time to adjust but I am not complaining, because Zanini realised there was the opportunity for me to play as a middle blocker with the national team, since our top players, Leo Andrić and Ivan Raič, are both playing as opposite hitters and at this stage, I do not stand a chance against them. However, this way I had the opportunity to train with them, learn from them, be part of a team that achieved a historic result, and I have nothing to regret.”


“On the contrary, this summer has been a big win for me. I trained well, I am in good shape, I managed to rest a bit, and now I cannot wait to show myself in the best light in Monza,” Tomislav adds. German superstar György Grozer will be the starting opposite for Vero Volley MONZA and at the age of 37, he has a wealth of experience. However, you can be sure that young Tomislav will be ready to shine when the time comes…

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