huNter-: "It's a crazy feeling that six months ago we were favorites to win Shanghai, now we're not even close"

"We'll be happy, to be honest, to qualify for the playoffs," the Bosnian added.

G2 ended day one of Stage 3 at the BLAST.tv Austin Major with a 1-1 record after dropping a game to 3DMAX in their opener and beating paiN to end the day, and head into day two with another best-of-one to play.

It is a far fall from the organization's last Major appearance in Shanghai, where they were among the favorites for the title but were ultimately bounced in the semi-finals, with Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač admitting in an interview with HLTV that he would just be happy to make the playoffs.

"We'll be happy, to be honest, to qualify for the playoffs, and it's just crazy that it was only six months ago. Crazy feeling," he says.

The Bosnian also touched on playing the Major without Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač by his side and witnessing his cousin's elimination at the hands of MIBR after arriving in Austin.

"it was really tough. That was the day when I arrived [in Austin] and I watched this Inferno, third map. It was very, very painful to watch some rounds, especially this 3v5."

Listen to the interview here

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Congrats, you're 1-1 after the day. Didn't start the way you would have wanted with the 3DMAX loss, but you bounced back here. How are you feeling after that end?

It's important to not start the day 0-2, because 0-2 on the first day is a bit tricky. 1-1, we are still in the game, anything is possible. We can rest a bit and tomorrow we have only one best-of-one, and we have a chance against whoever we play. But yeah, I feel good that after this very bad game against 3DMAX that we played, we bounced back and played a decent game against paiN.

The last Major you were at, the circumstances were very different. You had a chance at the title, it didn't end the way you wanted, you were out in the semi-finals. Coming here and it not being the same situation, G2 not being thought of as a title contender with some of the teams here, how does that feel for you?

Yeah. I mean, it's crazy, feeling that we were the favorites to win the trophy in Shanghai six months ago because we had won the Singapore event, beat Spirit 3-0 at that event, and we were favorites to win Shanghai, and now we are coming here like... let's be honest, we're not even close to being favorites. We'll be happy, to be honest, to qualify for the playoffs, and it's just crazy that it was only six months ago. Crazy feeling.

But this is how it is, we all accepted it, we know the situation. We are really trying our best, we're trying to be good in game, we are playing a lot individually, working a lot, and we are trying to be good teammates. We have no pressure here for now, this is how it is, we will just try to give our best and that's what I can promise.

NiKo's cousin is still in the tournament, NiKo is not, unfortunately. Can you tell me what was going through your mind when you saw Falcons get eliminated?

Yeah, it was really tough. That was the day when I arrived [in Austin] and I watched this Inferno, third map. It was very, very painful to watch some rounds, especially this 3v5. I know how much it means to NiKo to win the Major or play well at the Major, but something is always off. Even in the last years when we were together on the team, something happened at the Major that is not usually happening for him. So yeah, I was really sorry for him and for his team, but that's the Major.

They had a very bad first day where they started 0-2, and if you start 0-2 you put more pressure on yourself, on your shoulders, and especially because lately they've been really good and playing very well, playing semi-finals or finals at every event, everybody was expecting them to win, and that's a lot of pressure, and that's the game at the end. The Major is always a lot of surprises, best-of-ones, you saw Vitality after 30 wins in a row they lost against Legacy today in a BO1. Anything can happen, and everybody knows that.

You avoided the 0-2, so it's not the same situation that you'll be facing. Is there a part of you that wants to carry on this run for NiKo too? Is that in your mind at all, or is it just purely for G2 and not a factor?

I don't think about that. It's very tough to think, we played together for four years, I enjoyed every moment playing with him, traveling with him, being with him on the team. Now it's a bit different, and yeah... I mean, if there is somebody that beat him, I will try my best to get revenge, but it's very tough to say that I will try to give my best because of him until the end of the Major. Of course, I'll try to do it for myself, for my teammates, but if there is a situation where we play against a team that beat them, we'll try our best to beat them.

As you said, G2 aren't considered favorites or contenders for the title here. What is the goal for you in that sense? What do you want to do here?

I will be really happy with playoffs first, and then after anything can happen. But the first goal is playoffs and I will be very happy with playoffs, to be honest, I don't want to lie.