Grbić on Semeniuk: "There is no other player like him in the world"

Nikola Grbić, head coach of Poland's men's volleyball team, paid tribute to Kamil Semeniuk in a lengthy interview with Interia. The interview was reported on 23 October 2026 by the SportoweFakty WP website.

He interrupted the journalist's question

The coach cut in on journalist Artur Gac because he wanted to highlight the role of the player he calls "Semen". His reaction came when the journalist recalled a recent remark by the player himself. The outside hitter, who plays for Italy's Perugia, said recently that praise from the head coach means more to him than any individual award.

Grbić did not let the next question be finished and asked to speak, in order to explain what makes the attitude of 30-year-old Semeniuk so special in the team of the reigning European champions.

"There is no other like him"

According to the coach, Semeniuk is always ready to step onto the court, whatever the task. He plays for the team and, as Grbić put it, can "bury his ego deep". The head coach said that having such a player is a huge strength for the team and an advantage over rivals.

Grbić also recalled that there were many matches in which Semeniuk did not start but remained ready to play throughout. Once on court, the coach said, he was able to change the outcome. The head coach asked who else in the world could do exactly the same, and added that the player deserves "really great respect" for it.

A club star, a substitute for the national team

The coach pointed to a paradox. Competition for places in the Poland squad is extremely tough, so Semeniuk has often had to accept the role of a substitute coming off the bench. Yet at Perugia, a leading club in the Italian league, he is a front-line player.

Grbić's remarks show how the head coach sees Semeniuk's role in the national team: as a player who accepts different tasks and so strengthens the squad.