Aleksander Śliwka speaks candidly about his injury. "That's all I have left for now."

The unfortunate incident occurred on the final stretch before the VNL 2025 tournament in Gdańsk. Aleksander Śliwka was injured during Tuesday's training session, and on Wednesday the Poles… were starting their game at Ergo Arena for points in the Nations League.

Aleksander Śliwka on Injury: Bad Luck for a Famous National Team Volleyball Player

There's no doubt that losing the man who was supposed to captain the Polish national team – in the absence of the injured Bartosz Kurek – was a significant blow to the team. Ultimately, without Śliwka, the Poles recorded two wins in the Tricity tournament (against Iran and France, 3-2 each) and two losses (1-3 against Cuba and 2-3 against Bulgaria). Ultimately, the Polish team secured a spot in the Nations League Final Eight.

On Thursday (July 31), Poland will play against Japan in the quarterfinals of the VNL 2025 final tournament in China.

And how is Śliwka's health? He spoke during "Team Polska Magazine" on the Siatkarskie Ligi YouTube channel.

"My injury is so serious that I would consider playing in the national team this year a miracle. I'm focusing on returning for the club season [...] I dislocated my right foot during training the day before the VNL match in Gdańsk. I'm currently two weeks post-op to set my ankle, and I'm waiting for the doctor's further findings on the treatment and rehabilitation process. It's hard to say exactly how long my break will be. I could say something like 'a few months.' That's all I can say at this point," admitted the Olympic runner-up and key member of the team coached by Nikola Grbić.

The experienced receiver was also asked how he's coping mentally with another serious injury. It's worth noting that Śliwka suffered an unfortunate injury during his final season with ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, breaking his finger.

This meant the receiver missed several months, and even his participation in the Olympic tournament after the 2023/24 campaign was in question. Ultimately, Śliwka did go to the tournament in Paris, albeit as a reserve.

"Is it hard for me to accept this? There were definitely a few days when I was searching for the answer to the question: Why me? Why did two, rather unlucky, injuries happen to me? Indeed, many years of playing, and practically every professional athlete struggles with pain, inflammation, and things like that. I've always tried to be ready for training, ready for a match. To extend this period of good athletic form, to spread it out over as long a period as possible, to play at the highest possible level. But some things are beyond my control. And the only thing I can do is show my character and ambition in my next return to sport and volleyball. And that's all I have left for now," Śliwka added.

Last season, the receiver from Jawor in Lower Silesia played in the Japanese league. However, Śliwka also started his Asian season with health issues, specifically, the need to address knee issues. Eventually, the Pole returned to playing, but as you can see, bad luck continues to plague the Polish international.

Read also: Success with Iga Świątek, and now competition? A big move in the world of tennis. Read also: The famous Polish representative has joined a giant. Fans blame him.