Martin Hermannsson shakes his head briefly. “This was the worst summer in 20 years,” says the Icelander with a serious expression. Even if it things have not been going well at his employer Alba Berlin in recent weeksHermannsson does not join the ranks of critics and moaners.
He talks about the weather in his home country, where he spent the summer break with his family. It was cool, it was wet – and when an Icelander complains about that, that’s saying something.
In terms of sport, however, the sun is shining again for Hermannsson. After a difficult season that ended prematurely with an injury, Alba’s new captain is eager to start again. “My body feels better than it has in many years. I’m happy that things are starting again,” says the 30-year-old playmaker. before the Bundesliga kick-off on Sunday at the Hamburg Towers (6 p.m.).
Recommended editorial content
Here you will find external content selected by our editors that enriches the article with additional information. You can display or hide the external content with one click.
I agree to the external content being displayed to me. This means that personal data can be transmitted to third-party platforms. You can find more information about this in the data protection settings. You can find these at the very bottom of our page in the footer, so that you can manage or revoke your settings at any time.
Hermannsson’s enthusiasm has a lot to do with his recent past. After developing into a point guard at Euroleague level at Alba between 2018 and 2020, his subsequent time in Valencia was not a good one. In 2022, he tore his cruciate ligament and was out for nine months, followed by another knee operation in 2023.
When Alba brought him back to Berlin in January, expectations were highbut after a long break, Hermannsson was not the same as in 2020. Although he helped with his experience and order, he repeatedly struggled with his own performance. Too many turnovers, weak shooting percentages – “last season I was not myself,” says Hermannsson.
The jump from convalescence to the leader of a young team was too big. “I hadn’t played before and suddenly I was on the field for 20 or 25 minutes. My body didn’t get used to that so quickly,” says Hermannsson.
Now he could be like another new signing for Alba. The summer break has clearly done him good and even though a gastrointestinal infection kept him out of action for a few days, he was able to continue working on his teamwork during the preparation. “We are in better shape than last year,” says Hermannsson.
The fact that Alba made a mixed impression in the test matches and lost to their opening opponents Hamburg does not worry the Icelander with his experience. Even under the great Aito, the Berlin team often struggled in the summer and Hermannsson even sees a pattern. “No matter which team I played in, the preparation was always terrible.”
It will take weeks and months before Alba is back in top form, and that may also apply to Hermannsson himself. But with the regained confidence in his body, he will be able to take on the leadership role better, the shooting percentage will increase and the error rate will decrease, the Icelander is sure of that. “I have actually always made around 40 percent of my three-pointers in my career. As soon as I get back into the rhythm, the opponents can brace themselves,” says Hermannsson. Just like in the Icelandic summer.
