ZywOo interview: Not enjoying fame, six years at Vitality, and his future

The French superstar sat down with HLTV for a lengthy chat about his career.

HLTV sat down with Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut before the player break to talk about all things Counter-Strike in an in-depth interview conducted by Jason "⁠moses⁠" O'Toole.

The duo touched on several topics throughout the interview, ranging from his time in Vitality to some more personal subjects.

The French superstar began the interview by looking back at his career in Vitality, where he spent six years. "It's now not only people working for me. It's more friends, and it's awesome to have them behind," he began.

"I don't care about being the superstar because, in the end, they are all just my friends. They don't see me as ZywOo but as Mathieu Herbaut, that's why I like them. Whenever I see their smile, I'm just happy to see them."

ZywOo had a plethora of teammates throughout his six years in Vitality, but Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire was a constant presence across the superstar's time in the organization.

The Frenchman also transformed into a respected IGL during their time together, and ZywOo says he always saw him as a leadership figure. "When we had the discussion about who should take over as the IGL, it was 100% clear he is the next leader for me," he said.

"We can just follow his call because we know it's going to be a good call. We try to help him, but when he makes a call, his energy ensures it's a good one."

The conversation transitioned to his enjoyment of CS, and the Frenchman admitted he doesn't enjoy the limelight. "When I'm playing games, I don't feel anything because I know what I'm doing. I'm more afraid of speaking in front of people than playing."

He was then asked about the best and worst aspects of being a pro player and gave a simple answer. "We are going from one tournament to another so fast, so sometimes it's really hard to enjoy it," he said about the negatives.

"But the first thing that makes me enjoy it is winning. [laughs] Also, having all this chemistry with your teammates. You can feel all five [connected] on the server and feel really good, and when you are in a good team bubble, you can beat anyone."

ZywOo then shared that he doesn't watch demos to prepare, something that has become a staple of top-tier CS in recent years. "I'm watching the game while I'm playing, and I see things instantly, but I'm never rewatching it. Once I have seen it once, I don't need to see it twice."

The interview ended with ZywOo looking to the future, and he admitted he doesn't think about it yet. "For me, I'm living day by day, not thinking about the future and what I'm going to do, or if I'm going to be a coach or manager. Just enjoying the moment."

You can watch the full in-depth interview through the embed at the start of this article or on HLTV's YouTube channel.