Anastasia Prokopenko is the number one female player from Russia. We spoke to the 26-year-old about her improved level, the match against European Champion Tine Baun at the 2012 London Olympics and she gives us a little insight on her daily training environment in Moscow.

BADMINTON EUROPE: Anastasia, you played a great match against Tine Baun at the Olympics. How would you describe the match and where does the improvement in you game come from?

Anastasia Prokopenko: It was a very difficult and tough match, both physically and mentally. I had felt very good in the preparations to the Olympics and after winning the first match I had a lot of self-confidence. Also I felt that I had nothing to lose against such a strong player. The improvements in my game mainly come from a better tactical awareness  and through increased speed when moving around the court!

BADMINTON EUROPE: How did the Russian players prepare for the Olympics?

Prokopenko: Before the Olympics we had a very effective training camp in the Russian Region of Ramenskoe. This is the place we always prepare for major competitions. Unfortunately, I cannot share the details and small secrets of our preparation.

BADMINTON EUROPE: A word to the first Russian badminton Olympic medal? How was it received in your country?

Prokopenko: Yes, for the first time in history of badminton in Russia we won an Olympic medal. This achievement in the Olympics places Russia among only few countries in the badminton world. This was certainly addressed extensively in the Russian media. The women’s doubles were asked to give a lot of interviews for TV, radio and newspapers.

BADMINTON EUROPE: Could you give us an insight of your daily schedule? Where do you train and how often?

Prokopenko: My daily schedule is of course focused around badminton. I train 6 days a week and each day we have two trainings of 3 hours duration. This includes also fitness training in the gym but mainly on court training with shuttle and racket. We normally train in Ramenskoe.

BADMINTON EUROPE: Are the girls separated from the boys during training? Or are you practicing all together in Russia?

Prokopenko: This is an interesting question (laughs) We train together with the boys  and we can't imagine training without them. The boys can help the girls in training and we have a very good team spirit and atmosphere in the team. We feel more like friends and we are all there to help each other.

BADMINTON EUROPE: Where do you get the support from to play badminton at a professional level? Are Russian badminton players supported financially by the government?

Prokopenko: At national team level all the players have sponsors, for example Yonex is sponsoring many players. We also have support from the government. Besides this, all the players have support from our national federation and also from the regional organizations.

BADMINTON EUROPE: You are the best Russian women’s single player. Is there anybody from the young girls coming up to give you a bit pressure in the future?

Prokopenko: Of course there are girls that can pressure me as we have a very good and talented youth national team. I can mention players as Romina Gabdullina and Evgeniya Kosetskaya but there are also other players that can become really good in the future.

BADMINTON EUROPE: Last question. Is there any goal concerning your career? What would you like to achieve?

Prokopenko: At this moment I have set my target on winning a medal at the European Championships. Else I am really focused on developing my game and to become as good as I can possibly get.

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Photo by BadmintonPhoto.