Thaisa glad to be back with Brazil: ‘It’s like coming home’

If Brazilian volleyball fans were granted one wish during the last five years, it’s pretty safe to say that the vast majority of them would use it to bring star middle blocker Thaisa Menezes back to their country’s national team.

The veteran’s return is finally set to happen after she was included in the team’s squad for the Volleyball Nations League 2023 and is currently training with the other players ahead of the second week of the tournament in Barueri.

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Thaisa continued to play at a very high level during her time away from the national team, winning two Brazilian Superliga, two Brazilian Cup and South American Championship titles with Gerdau Minas, which only increased the requests for her to wear Brazil’s yellow shirt again.

Although she was always very sure about her decision to focus on her club career, the 35-year-old veteran is happy to return to the national team after five years.

“I’m very happy to be back with the national team,” the star middle blocker told Volleyball World. “After so long, it really feels like the first time. It’s a nice mix of feelings, I’m very anxious, but also excited. I was dealing well with not being on the national team because I had my reasons to step away at that moment, but to be able to return now makes me really happy.”

Those reasons had entirely to do with Thaisa taking great care of her body after going through her most traumatic experience as a player. The middle blocker’s career was severely jeopardized when she suffered a major knee injury in 2017 that sidelined her for several months.

After making an effort to be with Brazil during the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship, the veteran, who had also dealt with knee and ankle issues before, decided it was time to listen to her body and give it the time it needed to recover after the always-demanding club seasons.

It took insistent calls over the years from head coach José ‘Zé Roberto’ Guimarães, who played a big role in her comeback from knee surgery, even signing her to his club Barueri for her to finalize her recovery and return to the court, for the 35-year-old veteran to decide she was ready to come back now.

“Zé had been in touch the entire time and I was always very honest, telling him that my body needed to rest,” she explained. “For several years, I ended the club season in pain and I couldn’t just ignore it and push my body beyond its limits. I feel much better now. I feel stronger and I feel like my body has adjusted to all the physical issues I had and that it’s ready to handle the load of being with the national team. That was a big factor in my decision to return as now I not only don’t have any pain, but I also few ready to help again.”

Thaisa returns to the national team as the most accomplished player in the current squad, having won two Olympic gold medals (Beijing 2008 and London 2012), five FIVB World Grand Prix titles (2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016) and medals on the FIVB World Championship in 2010 (silver) and 2014 (bronze).

The help of a player of her caliber could be exactly what Brazil needs to give the next step. The team has consistently been among the best in the world, having appeared in the last three VNL gold medal matches, as well as the finals of the Tokyo Olympics, in 2021, and the 2022 World Championship, but ended up taking silver in all five occasions.

“I think my experience is the most valuable thing that I can bring to the team,” the player reflected. “I’ve experienced a lot with the national team and the clubs I played for and I want to help with that and by setting the example. When I decide to do something, I fully commit to it and do my very best and it’s going to be the same with my return now. The most important thing for me is to help the team, be it with my play, with my experience, or with my mindset.”

The veteran has found a very different group of players when she joined the team for training just one week ago as only four athletes who were with her in the seventh-place finish campaign at the 2018 World Championship continue with the team – setter Roberta Ratzke, opposite Rosamaria Montibeller, outside hitter Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães and middle blocker Ana Carolina ‘Carol’ da Silva.

Thaisa has, however, played with or against most of her teammates at the club level and is confident the team has what it takes to succeed in the major international tournaments.

“Brazil have been revamping their squad for some years now and I think it’s a very natural thing in sports,” the veteran explained. “I’m happy to see new faces becoming more and more important to the team. Brazil have been very competitive, winning medals in all major events, and are one of the best teams in the world. Perhaps we need a few minor improvements to be able to win some more golds, and I fully believe we’re capable of it. I see a very strong group of players, athletes that are very determined, and I feel like Zé is slowly getting the team to progress in the right direction. We’re in a great spot now, but I think we can still be a lot better because there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

Brazil fielded a relatively young squad in the opening week of the VNL, securing three wins in four matches in Nagoya, Japan, ending the first round of the tournament in fifth place.

The team will be home in the second week of competition, facing Korea, Serbia, Germany and the United States in Brasilia from June 13-18, and Zé Roberto could bring some veterans back to the squad, leaving the door open for Thaisa to make her comeback in front of the very same fans who spent the last five years dreaming about this moment.

“Wearing the Brazilian jersey again is going to be very emotional,” Thaisa commented. “Just to think of it, I get goosebumps. I’ve spent several years of my life with the national team and it feels like I’m returning home because I know it’s a place I belong and I feel happy. Getting on the court again will bring some great memories and I’m very honored to be a part of it again.”

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