About the author
Gregor Komac
In September 2021, during the COVID lockdowns when we were confined to cities and homes, and friendly and sports gatherings were banned, I bought a table tennis robot. For those unfamiliar, it’s a device you attach to one side of the table that sends balls at various speeds, directions, and spins. When I grew a bit tired of playing with the robot and wanted a live opponent, I encountered a problem: I didn’t know anyone who played better than me who could teach me. I asked Uroš Slatinšek, a top player and supplier of the robot, who had greatly contributed to my enthusiasm for this beautiful game, if he knew anyone in Maribor. He replied: “Of course. Gregor Komac – a good friend of mine. A national teammate for 15 years. A great athlete and an even better person. In my opinion, he’s by far the best choice in Maribor, if not in all of Slovenia.”
I admit, I’m not a sports person, I don’t follow sports, and I had never heard of Gregor Komac until then. I did a quick search online. I read that he’s a legendary table tennis player who played for the Yugoslav youth team and later for the Slovenian national team. I came across articles that I summarize here because they highlight his greatness in national table tennis.
The first article, titled Komac Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes, writes: “Just as suddenly as Gregor Komac disappeared from Maribor’s table tennis scene five years ago, he unexpectedly returned to the Tabor Hall. He could be the father of some competitors, yet he still defeats them.
Gregor Komac played his last match for the Železničarski Table Tennis Club on April 6, 2013, and then disappeared from the Tabor Hall. It was as if he had vanished. Therefore, it was all the more surprising that he recently reappeared like a phoenix in a ŽNTK Maribor jersey, playing in the national championship matches against Sobota and Ptuj. And on top of that, he won all four matches! (…) The Maribor team, with Komac, has gained a player who could once again bring the national championship title to the Štajerska capital after 2012.”
(https://vecer.com/prosti-cas/komac-kakor-feniks-iz-pepela-6406056)
Another article from 2008 also caught my attention. The title Komac Is Not Done Yet was telling. The article says: “The first RS Open Table Tennis Tournament took place in Ljubljana. In the men’s competition, the experienced Gregor Komac emerged victorious. It seems that the call-up to the national team for the international Slovenian championship in Velenje did him well, as he displayed excellent play, proving that despite no longer being in his prime, he is still not to be written off and remains at the top of Slovenian table tennis. The player, who was born in Kočevje and has lived in Maribor for some time, achieved his most notable victory in the quarterfinals…”
https://siol.net/sportal/drugi-sporti/komac-se-ni-za-odpis-110082
From other sources, I learned that he started playing table tennis in Kočevje’s Melamin club, competed for various clubs in Slovenia, and also played for Bagat in Zadar. Perhaps his greatest achievement was ranking ninth in the world in doubles. He began playing in Maribor in 1999, and the club became a serial national champion.
“Is it possible that such a great player would coach me?” I wondered. “Would he have the time and willingness for a recreational player?” I doubted it, but I called him anyway, and we met a few days later. He told me that he doesn’t offer individual training, that he’s very busy, but when he recognized my burning desire, he relented. The deciding factor, as he later told me, was that we clicked personally. He was right: it was a rare friendship at first sight. After just a few training sessions, we became genuine friends.
Sašo Bizjak
In November 2021, I was hospitalized for the first time in my life due to COVID pneumonia. After a few weeks of recovery at home, I described my condition as follows:
“At first, I could only return 50 balls to the robot on the ping pong table. I didn’t have the breath for more, but soon I could return 200, then another 200 after a short break. After a month, I was able to endure an entire training session with Gregor. I pretended to be fully recovered, but Gregor sensed my true condition. He fed me balls in a way that made them easier to return. It was touching how carefully he treated me. He watched my breathing and suggested breaks. When I insisted on continuing, he would say that he needed to drink some water, forcing a break. I saw him barely moisten his lips, and realized the break was for me.”
(Ivan Soče: Zlokovidni časi, SITIS Publishing, Maribor, 2021)
That’s how he always is. He carefully observes, senses fatigue, boredom, or simply a “bad” day, and quickly adjusts the exercises. We also talk and laugh a lot. Every training session is pure joy. It’s truly play, not competition. And playing naturally brings out the forgotten child in everyone, triggering a lot of good mood and releasing plenty of happy hormones. Gradually, I started to realize all the dimensions of table tennis and began to better understand how it can help Parkinson’s patients. After a few training sessions, older people started coming to the hall. I noticed that some had trouble walking, others had issues with balance, and some had visibly trembling hands. I asked Gregor who these people were, and he told me that he had been training Parkinson’s patients for two years. In collaboration with Trepetlika, the Parkinson’s patients’ association, they followed the findings of American and Japanese scientists that playing table tennis slows the progression and helps alleviate this very unpleasant disease. Paying attention to the opponent’s position, the position of their paddle, tracking the fast-moving ball, and preparing one’s stance, hands, and paddle to return the ball properly requires the engagement of the entire brain, which must quickly coordinate a huge number of movements.
I can’t imagine a more suitable coach for any patient. In fact, he’s not just a coach, but a therapist who not only teaches exercise or table tennis but also encourages optimism, self-love, and a positive outlook. Self-image is crucial for all patients. The key is that the individual doesn’t see themselves as sick or disabled, which is why Gregor never treats them like patients. He treats them just like he treats me. After all, older people have their own limitations, whether due to age, illness, or injury.
When I took on the task (actually, I volunteered) to write something about Gregor, I asked him to bring me some memorabilia. He brought me a thick folder of cut-out newspaper articles (his proud father collected them most enthusiastically), from which I could see that he’s truly a top-level athlete who has left a lasting mark in the history of table tennis: from individual and club successes to serving as the head coach of the women’s national team. I won’t bore you with the chronology of his playing career, which gave him a lot but also took a lot. That’s his history, just like the many trophies and medals. Even those who don’t know this history will quickly realize after a few training sessions that Gregor is a technically and morally competent coach and therapist, who helps ensure that our history will be much happier, more fulfilled, and healthier. He helps us live a happier life. This book can contribute a great deal to that.
After nearly three years of friendship, I can fully agree with Uroš: “A great athlete and an even better person.” Thank you, Gregor.
Ivan Soče