Nikola Karabatic: 'Mixed feelings'

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Champion of France for the fifth consecutive time since his arrival at Paris Saint-Germain in 2015 (a league-record 12th time in his career), Nikola Karabatic is torn between joy and a little bitterness as he savours the seventh Lidl StarLigue title in the club's history - which is also the 17th piece of domestic silverware won by Paris Saint-Germain Handball since 2013.

Psg.fr: What are your first feelings after the announcement of this championship title following the NHL's decision to put a definitive end to the Lidl Star League season?
Nikola Karabatic: (Smiles) Let's say I'll remember this title all my life... Let's say I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'm happy and I tell myself that this title was really deserved given our domination in all the domestic competitions this season. On the other hand, there is sadness because we would have liked to finish the season; we performed well until it was all suspended. We were on a positive dynamic and we felt great out on the court. And then, above all, we would have liked to enjoy this title together, to celebrate it as a team. We play a collective sport so we can share this kind of experience with our team-mates, and also with our fans. But we're not going to complain. There are people who are in much worse situations than we are right now. People are getting sick, people are dying...

With this LSL title, the sixth in a row, Paris Saint-Germain are making history in the French Championship...
What makes our achievement even greater is that the level of the championship has risen in recent years. The Lidl StarLigue has really become a reference in Europe and winning it has become very complicated, believe me. There was the emergence of Nantes, Montpellier are still there, and teams like Nîmes and Aix are at a very good level. With no disrespect to anyone, I remember that in the early 2000s it was more like a mano a mano between Montpellier and Chambéry. Now the competition is much tighter. That's particularly noticeable in the lower teams, who are much stronger than before.

Will you be celebrating the title with your team-mates tonight?
Yes, we're going to try and drink a beer together - via video chat - to celebrate! As I was saying, that's what's a bit hard, not being together, not being able to celebrate this trophy on the court. But that's just the way it is... At least this title brings a bit of positivity to the end of the season and this period of uncertainty overall. I still hope we can see each other at least once more before the end of the season, when some of our players will be leaving us...

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)