News

It’s not unusual for volleyball players to develop special relationships with one or more coaches during the course of their careers. But not many are as intense and meaningful as the one between middle blocker Thaisa Menezes and Brazil head coach Jose ‘Ze’ Roberto Guimaraes.

The 66-year-old Ze Roberto, who is the only three-time Olympic champion in Brazilian sport, has been by Thaisa’s side throughout her career and hopes to have a final opportunity to coach the 33-year-old middle blocker in 2021, during the Tokyo Olympics.

Their connection first started in 2005, when Thaisa, then a two-time U-20 world champion, was first called to the Brazilian senior national team. Her 1.96m-tall frame was certainly impressive, but she was still raw and needed to learn the game to compete at the highest level.

Ze Roberto trusted her, though, and kept her in the squad during the years leading to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Thaisa, then 21, came off the bench in the Chinese capital to score blocking points in specific situations. But getting to play such important moments at such a young age and taking home an Olympic gold medal certainly changed her life.

“I was only 21, I was so happy about it I can’t even put in words,” she said about the team’s triumph in the Chinese capital. “Everything was new and I loved each second of it. I couldn’t believe I was going to compete at the Olympics, it was a dream come true. And now, looking back, I see it was the starting point for everything I built in my career.”

Her career certainly took off after that tournament. With the international retirement of Walewska Oliveira, Thaisa earned a starting spot with the national team and improved significantly under Ze Roberto’s mentorship, helping Brazil to retain their status as a team and secure a second Olympic gold medal four years later, at the London Games, this time in a protagonist role.

Thaisa was unanimously considered an important part of the team preparing for the Rio 2016 Olympics, but a calf injury sustained a few weeks before the Games limited her participation in the tournament played in her hometown, at which the Brazilians finished fifth.

After Rio, she decided to continue her career overseas. That, however, did not last long. Whilst playing for Turkey’s Eczacibasi, Thaisa sustained a potentially career-ending knee injury in April 2017 that put the future of her career in question.

Out of contract, she returned to Brazil with all sorts of worries concerning her next steps. Then, a familiar face showed up. Coaching a Brazilian Superliga team in Barueri, Ze Roberto opened the doors to Thaisa while she recovered and gave her the support she needed to work her way back on to a volleyball court.

“I’ll never be able to thank him enough for that,” the middle blocker said. “I was out of contract and had to spend an entire season rehabbing and preparing to return. There were no guarantees I would make it. He offered me the structure of his club so I had a place to practise and physios to work with. He even got me a salary, even knowing I probably wouldn’t be able to play that season. He offered help in the most difficult moment of my career and I’ll never forget it.”

Her recovery was an absolute success. Thaisa signed for Barueri for the following season and reappeared in the Brazilian national team during the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship. She announced her national team retirement ahead of the 2019 international season, but a strong campaign with Itambe Minas during the 2019-2020 season, which had her unanimously considered as the league’s MVP, brought her name back into the national team conversation.

“A player I’d love to have in the team for the Olympics is Thaisa,” Ze Roberto said in an interview. “And I’ve told her already. To see how she recovered from such a serious injury and got to play at such a high level, it’s incredible. She’s the best middle blocker in the world right now.”

The doors are open for a potential last reunion between Ze Roberto and Thaisa with the national team. Their story together certainly deserves a great final chapter, but whether that goes ahead or not is still up in the air.

“I’ve had three knee surgeries, so I really need to be cautious,” Thaisa said about the possibility of returning to the national team. “I have the knee of an 80-year-old person now and every year I don’t take time off and join the national team means two or three seasons less in my club career. I felt great last season, but I need to see how things go during this one before I make a decision. There’s a lot involved and I won’t take the decision lightly.”

Read more: Roster 100 to showcase stars of volleyball and beach volleyball

Quick links:
Roster 100
Volleyball World
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube