WOMAN
07/12/2018

Dóra Zeller: "I just want to play football again"

The Bundesliga team kicked off their pre-season preparations on Monday. Among the returning players was Dóra Zeller, who missed last season due to a cruciate ligament injury suffered in summer 2017. "I'm looking forward to every single session," said the Hungary international in an interview with achtzehn99.de in which she spoke about the next few weeks, the Bundesliga fixture list and her own ambitions.

Finally back on the training ground! Hello Dóra, you've already completed the first two training sessions. How do you feel?

Dóra Zeller: "I'm really happy to finally be involved again after my long injury lay-off. The first training session after so many weeks off is always nice. You get to see the team again and you get used to having the ball at your feet again. The ball was the focal point in the first session, then yesterday was about proving our fitness in an endurance test."

You actually slowly started to return to team training towards the end of last season. How fit would you say you are in terms of a percentage after your serious knee injury?

Zeller: "It was definitely a good thing that I was able to rejoin training before the summer break. I notice that it [the injury] is on my mind less and less. I'm still not back to 100 percent yet, but I'm on the right track and I've already passed the 90 percent threshold."

You've got a long pre-season ahead of you. What are you expecting?

Zeller: "We'll certainly do a lot of athletics-related work, even if the focus is obviously always on football. I'm looking forward to every single session, especially the training camps and playing my first games after such a long time out."

Four new signings have already linked up with the team, while five players have left TSG. Where do you see your role in the team?

Zeller: "I'm now one of the more senior players and I have a lot of Bundesliga experience. So for me one of the objectives in the upcoming season will be to assume a bit more responsibility and play a role in the assisting the integration of the new signings. But I still have a lot to learn on the way to becoming a leading player. The important thing for me is that I help the team, both on and off the pitch."

The fixture list for the new season has already been released. What do you make of it?

Zeller: "As we did two years ago, we're starting the new campaign with a home game against Potsdam. We weren't successful when we faced them back then, but we went on to have a very good season. We've learned a lot since then and so I believe we stand a good chance of getting a result against Potsdam. Then we'll be taking on Frankfurt and Essen. They're opponents against whom we've managed to pick up points in the past. All in all, I'm very satisfied with the fixture list."

What targets have you set for the new season?

Zeller: "I just want to play football again. It's a lot of fun for me to be back out on the pitch and I want to carry that on into the season. I want to contribute my strengths and develop further."

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