In the firmament of world volleyball, there are moments that transcend sports news to become pure competitive literature. One of these happened recently, when Simone Giannelli, considered by many to be the best setter on the planet, wanted to pay homage to Maja Ognjenović, defining her as an absolute model of excellence and longevity. A compliment that did not go unnoticed and which the captain of the Serbian national team welcomed with a rare emotion for an athlete of her experience: «Simone’s words touched me deeply», admitted Maja. «When a champion of his caliber, a player who I admire immensely for his tactical intelligence and his leadership, expresses himself in this way, you understand that mutual respect is the most precious trophy that this sport can offer». This meeting of esteem between the two most iconic directors of modern volleyball is the backdrop to a broader reflection on the future of Serbia and on the life philosophy of a player who seems to have defeated time.
Maja Ognjenović has returned to talk about her career and next goals with the clarity of someone who knows that the identity card is just a bureaucratic detail. For her, life is not measured in the years that pass, but in the quality of the sensations you feel on and off the field. After the Olympic disappointment in Paris, where Serbia failed to reach the podium, many expected a definitive farewell. Yet, the bond between the setter and her national jersey remains unbreakable. Ognjenović underlines how her return to the field is not dictated by an obsession with records, but by an inner fire that shows no signs of dying out. His presence is a guarantee of stability for a group that is going through a transition phase, but which cannot ignore his charismatic leadership.
However, with the usual frankness that has always distinguished her, Maja analyzed the internal balance of the Serbian national team, sending a clear message on the technical hierarchy of the team. Although Serbia is an inexhaustible source of talent, there is a truth that for the captain is incontrovertible: «Serbia can do without anyone, except Tijana Bošković». According to Ognjenović, the left-handed champion represents the only truly irreplaceable element, the pivot around which every present and future technical project must revolve. Without Tijana, the national team would lose not only its main firebrand, but also the psychological security that allows its teammates to play with greater freedom.
The interview ends with a look at the next international commitments, with the awareness that the path towards the next goals will be uphill. Serbia is experiencing a necessary generational change, but the integration between the promising young people and the “old guard” represented by Maja will be the key to success. The captain says she is ready to act as a mother hen, to transmit that winning mentality that has brought Serbian volleyball to the top of the world. The challenge is open: as long as the sensations are the right ones and as long as champions like Giannelli continue to look at her with admiration, Maja Ognjenović’s reign will never end. World volleyball is grateful, knowing that it can admire for a little longer the fairy hands of a legend who continues to write history, set after set, with the elegance of someone who has never stopped feeling young.
