Sluková and Hermannová’s delight at iconic Poreč photoshoot

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Photocredit: Marjan Radovic/Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series

The stars of the photoshoot to launch this year’s Poreč Major, Markéta Sluková and Barbora Hermannová, spoke of their pride at being asked to play the leading roles in The Divine Set.

As Croatian photographer Marjan Radovic’s beautiful pictures show, the Czech Republic Olympians became the first athletes to play inside Poreč’s famous landmark, the Euphrasian Basilica – a 1,600-year-old episcopal complex on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

“It’s a very special place,” said Markéta. “The atmosphere there was just lovely. The combination of this historical building and beach volleyball, being a fairly young sport, created the perfect contrast.

“We were honored; the only thing we were worried about was not to miss the ball too often to not break anything!”

The pair, who are in the main draw for the third instalment of the Poreč Major, had to cope with scorching temperatures during the shoot which presented challenges of its own.

“The biggest issue was probably the heat,” Markéta. “We had to wear our warm gear as shooting in the Euphrasian Basilica in bikinis would not be appropriate. We started to shoot at 2pm and the sun was quite strong.

“But Marijan is a very skillful photographer, and good that he didn’t leave us sweating for very long!”

Barbora and Markéta finished in 17th place in last summer’s Poreč Major but the tandem have high hopes of going further this year in a tournament that is close to their hearts.

“We would love to get as far as possible in the tournament because it would mean we get to play many game on the Center Court, the Red Bull Beach Arena,” said Slukova. “The location of the venue is exceptional. By the sea, just next to the city center. There are always so many spectators and the weather is great. This combination makes the Poreč Major one of the nicest tournaments.”

The Poreč Major gets under way next week with the Czech duo among the top teams entered in the women’s draw. For further information check out our official event website and the Facebook event page.

See you in Poreč, girls!

Photocredit: Marjan Radovic/Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series