Reigning European Champion Marc Zwiebler will be one of the players to watch at this year's World Championships in Guangzhou, China (5 to 11 August 2013). With his recent results in the Indonesia and Singapore Open, the German number one graduated to a world class shuttler with medal perspectives. We spoke to the 29-year-old about his preparations for the BWF World Championships.

About the training before Guangzhou:

We are fully in the preparations for the World Championships. After the tournaments in Asia, I have been on vacation for a week. Since 10 days I am back at full practise. I have little injury worries because of my foot - but I hope I can manage the situation. Next week we (the German team) are flying to Copenhagen, where the European top players of all disciplines will train together. We will mainly play matches to be ready for Guangzhou. This has become an almost traditional affair before a big event is taking place. It shows how big the solidarity between the European countries is.

About a personal goal:

To define a goal at the World Championships is difficult at this stage as you do not have a draw yet. There are a lot of unseeded opponents, who could be very dangerous. I guess there is, with 2-3 exceptions maybe, a big field of players, who have the potential to reach at least the quarter-final stage.

About the expectations:

Since I have achieved a couple of good results recently, the expectations from outside grew a bit. But I know the thin line between a victory and a defeat. Therefore I don't have an excessive expecation. I am realistic. In general, I hope that Europe can scoop one or more medals. If it would be a German or even me, it would be even better."

Photo by BadmintonPhoto.
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