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Quinn reflects on the Riyadh Masters: "I'm pretty disappointed in my own play this tournament"
Gaimin Gladiators stay alive in the Riyadh Masters 2023, after a nail-biting three-game series against the International 11 winners, Tundra Esports. The Gladiators made incredible comebacks in both of their victories, despite being behind over 20,000 gold in each game.
After a grueling series, Quinn "Quinn" Callahan, had a quick interview on stage, discussing his feelings during the game, handling their first loss in a LAN tournament, and how the team recovered after losing a match.
Quinn: "I don't really know what happened, I'm kind of in shock right now"
Gaimin Gladiators have been on a roll this year, winning all three Majors and both DreamLeague tournaments. No other team has come close to achieving what they have in the 2023 Dota 2 season.
The series against Tundra Esports was the closest Gaimin has been to being eliminated all year, and even the players were surprised when they won.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU6TJA3i040
"I went through the whole emotional roller coaster, there's this feeling in your gut when you're about to lose and I felt that, and then we somehow still won, I don't really know what happened, I'm kind of in shock right now," said Quinn.
Gaimin Gladiators' loss against Team Liquid is their first loss in a lan playoff this year. Riyadh Masters 2023 has proven to be an especially difficult tournament for Gaimin, as they went 8-6 in the group stage, underwhelming for the team, compared to their double-digit victories at all three Majors.
When asked how they are dealing with their first loss, Quinn admitted it has been a tough competition for them, and that losing isn't as unfamiliar as it was before.
"It's rough, we've lost a lot of individual series, and lost a lot of games, like our group stage was pretty rocky, so, to be honest, we're more used to losing at this tournament than we have been in any other."
Quinn is not happy with his performance in Riyadh Masters
The best athletes in the world are often their own harshest critics and Dota 2 professionals are no different. After losing the mid-lane matchup against Team Liquid's Michał "Nisha" Jankowski in all three games, Quinn admitted he isn't happy with his performance, "I am pretty disappointed in my own play this tournament."
Losing is alien territory for the Gladiators and the players are doing their best to examine their games and improve themselves moving forward. When asked how the team reacted to their defeat against Team Liquid, Quinn said they are focused on making sure nobody feels bad, both in-game and out of the game.
"I think we have team talks after all of our losses, assessing what went wrong in the game, if people feel bad about something or other in terms of gameplay, or out-of-game play stuff."
Gaimin Gladiators managed to eliminate the TI11 winners, but their next opponent is no easier, as they take on rising stars Quest Esports for a top-six spot in Riyadh Masters 2023.
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Image Source provided by: Gaimin Gladiators
