Ann Lor Zesser on SPORT24: “Jean-Charles tells me calm down, we’re playing for fun and I’m going crazy”

The Proteas Voulas squad in the away game against Athinaikos had a foreign name, a name that we didn’t know in Greek stadiums and actually scored 14 points in that game. This is Ann Lor Zesser, the 30-year-old French centre-back who may be known to many as the partner of Olympiacos French striker Livio Jean-Charles.

The tall athlete carved her own track on the soil of France and now adorns the A2 women’s stadiums with the colors of Proteas. Ann Lor Zesser welcomed the Sportish in her neighborhood and with her son about starting a new career, which fits perfectly with her priorities. Revealing the racing and psychological advice she gives her husband, she stood by her hard-fought face turning the singles summer play into epic battles.

Interview with Valia Pilianidis

Proteas Voulas came into her life unexpectedly when she accidentally walked out of the gym with her son, went in and watched the women’s race. The friendly atmosphere, the smiles of the people on the team and her love of basketball were enough for her to return to training after her pregnancy.

“I happened to start training in October. I wanted to start training again after my pregnancy and I asked if there were any teams nearby. One day I was walking with my son and I saw Voula’s gym. I went inside and saw they were playing basketball, right after the game i spoke to the coach and he told me to go to a training session to see me.

I did my first workouts and what struck me was how friendly all the girls were. I think it’s also a mentality here in Greece, everyone is very friendly, but I was really impressed by how quickly the girls in the team hugged me. Then I met the President and the people in charge and that’s how I started. The good thing was that I was able to play because I’m in the country, theoretically, for professional reasons through my husband, who plays at Olympiakos. Of course it’s different than in France, it doesn’t matter what nationality you have, you can fight freely.

At first I was worried because I heard from friends that I might not be able to play because I’m not Greek, but I got confirmation from the team that there will be no problem.

A2 was an easy choice for her as this category allows her to combine her love of basketball with her responsibilities as a mother and husband. The allure of A1 women is always great, but their priorities are different now.

“First of all, I can’t miss home so much because of my son. The A1 teams have high standards and you have to invest a lot of time. Because of my family I didn’t want to be away from home that much me A2 and Voula for women suited me, it was what I needed based on the time I could spend.

Reconciling basketball with my family is a bit difficult, it’s a challenge. After basketball, of course, my priority is my husband and our son. Now there are about 5-6 games left with the Voula team until the end of the year in April, so I’ve told my husband I want to play in the games every weekend for that period because I need to.

When I got pregnant I was very happy because by that time the coronavirus broke out and all the action in basketball had stopped. It came at the best time because I didn’t think I would leave basketball behind. Now I’m very happy that I came back and can do what I love without neglecting my family“.

Proteas Voulas and the support of the association

Organizationally, on the other hand, Anne Lor Zesser seems to be completely satisfied with the performance of her team and the level of competition, which, as she herself admitted, differs somewhat from that in France.

“There is a good organization in Voula. It’s not that different from the league and the team I was in France. I like the fact that they see the team as a family. I might not speak the same language as them Girls I may be the unique strangers but they are all very friendly to me and help me with every workout.

The level is good because after my pregnancy I also needed time to get back into racing. So, considering that the birth of my son gave me a long time to train and play, I think the level of the team is ideal for me to gradually get back into the competitive rhythm. I train about 2-3 times a week so it’s ideal to find my form and rhythm again without stressing my body. I am very happy that the Proteas people opened their arms to me, because both the atmosphere in the team and the level are very good.

In fact, the team has helped me a lot so far because when I faced a personal problem, they showed great understanding. “Sport in general has helped me a lot when I’ve had complicated moments in my career.”

And the chemistry of the girls in the team is right, because the ages are different. There are girls who are around 16-17 years old, there are others who are almost 30 years old – as long as I am – and some a little older. At first I thought I was the oldest, but we have all ages on our team and I like it.

I would love to stay here next season, I love Greece

Whether he would like to stay in Voula’s team should the club manage to get promoted to the A1 category was the straight answer.

“My goal is to play the next few games and help the team move up a category to get to A1 women. If I stay next year and am in Greece I would like to stay in Proteas Voulas and strengthen the team in A1. I would love to stay here next season, I love Greece very much.”

The time he played in our country may not be long, but he can see that Greece has talent in women’s basketball.

“Girls have talent, yes. They are motivated, talented and athletic. The problem is that there aren’t many kids to compete with. In the team we have two girls who play in the national team. There are bases, only the number of girls is not very large “

Livio supported me when I told him I wanted to fight again, I advise him often

She did not lack the support of her partner. In fact, as she admitted, her return to the field was something Livio Jean-Charles expected, it was something she already knew.

“Livio and I met when we both played at Villeurbanne, he for the men’s first team, I for the women’s team. We spoke the same language and this was basketball, so we were an instant match. When I told him I was going to fight, I guess he already knew. He wasn’t surprised, he accepted it and immediately supported me. When I started training, Livio actually came to the stadium.

Basketball is what unites them, but also the main topic of conversation at home. In fact, Ann Lor Zesser admitted that she gives psychological advice to the Olympiacos forward, urging him to play more aggressively and think about his well-being.

“Of course we talk about basketball. Basketball is our life. Every day he trained, sometimes I did and so afterwards we discuss how the training went. When he has a game, we always talk after the game and sometimes it happens and I tell him why didn’t you take the pictures.

We talk about our teams, but we don’t watch every EuroLeague or NBA game. Livio often pretends to be a trainer and explains some systems to me because he is technically better trained than I am. I often advise him, but not so much on a technical level as on a psychological one. I often ask him to take the pictures. Livio plays for the team, he puts the good of the team above everything else and I often tell him to play for you. “There are a lot of good players at Olympiakos and if he doesn’t take the chances he’s given he won’t be able to gain more time.”

The only one with Libya in the summer

Finally, the big center of Proteas Voulas admitted that their summers with their partner are dedicated to basketball and the … singles playing together. However, fights in which there is competition usually find Livio Jean-Charles the victor.

“Sometimes in the summer I play one-on-one with my husband. Of course it doesn’t go very well for him because I’m very competitive, I don’t like to lose. I play to win while he plays to have a good time . He often tells me ‘calm down’ ‘We play for our fun’ and I’m crazy. Of course I end up losing most of the time, but it’s fun. We like to have basketball in our lives about plans for next season, since they affect the family directly. We don’t know every ‘when the next racing year will find us. I want to be in Greece next year too.”