Sara Garovic has been a member of the BVB women's handball team since the summer. Minor injuries have been the primary reason that the Serb has not yet managed to make the kind of impact she would have liked. But now she is fit and looking forward to a very special weekend. In an interview, the left-hander spoke about her first months in Dortmund, her son Viktor and the upcoming European tie against a club from her homeland.

How have the first five months in your new sporting home been for you?
"It's been difficult because of my injuries. I have felt more like a tourist than a player. That also makes it more difficult to connect with the team. But it's getting better; I feel really good at the moment."

How much of Dortmund have you gotten to know thus far and how do you like it?
"I'm very impressed by the fact that Dortmund is very green. It has an unbelievable number of parks, also in the surrounding area. That's super. I like it a lot here. Lake Phoenix with its hill is a really cool spot, for example. You can simply head over there and enjoy the sunset."

Has your son Viktor shown you Dortmund or vice versa?
"Well, it's been a bit of both. I've really seen a great deal due to him, because he absolutely loves being outdoors. We have also discovered the surrounding area and went to the Movie Park; he was naturally completely taken with that. But he also likes to come with me to training and plays with the girls. It's fun to see how he then attempts to try some things out."

You unfortunately couldn't play so much to begin with, but you got lots of playing time under your belt against Metzingen and in Blomberg. Are you relieved?
"I wouldn't say relieved yet, as I'm still not yet at 100%. And it's not easy to go straight into matches because we haven't all been able to train together due to the European Championships. We certainly still need to improve our timing. I haven't yet been able to produce what I expect of myself. But my body is feeling good; now my head just needs to play along."

You have two matches coming up at the weekend against ZRK Zeleznicar, a team from your home country of Serbia. How well do you know the opposition?
"I know them very well; I've often played against this team. They're a relatively young team and they definitely won't be coming here to chuck in the towel immediately. They've actually just signed a new player, Kristina Cvijanovic. I'm friends with her, which makes it even more special for me."

So will the matches be a special occasion for you?
"They will for me because I've often played against her. Unfortunately, I've lost more often than I've won. But it'll be a lot of fun, I'm sure of that. And it'll be nice to see a few people from Serbia, I'm looking forward to that." 

What are you expecting from them? 
"We definitely have a lot more quality in our squad, that's clear. But because of the small squad, it is not easy to share out the minutes. Ultimately, five games in 10 days really are extremely exhausting. But I am sure we will win."

Have you already spoken at length with your coach Henk Groener about the opposition?
"Yes, I have. I've also shown him a few matches. He then showed the girls what to expect, and we all spoke about what we needed to do in order to be successful. In general, the communication with Henk is really very good."