Tundra Esports to continue Riyadh Masters 2023 without Saksa
Tundra Esports, the current International champions, will continue their Riyadh Masters 2023 with a standin’ in their team. With teams trying to advance to the playoffs, the action at The Riyadh Masters is heating up. However, for Tundra Esports, the time has come again for their coach to pick up his keyboard and mouse as one of their players withdrew from the tournament due to mental health issues.
The Unexpected Revelation
Martin "Saksa" Sazdov, the roaming support player for the team, took to Twitter to share his heartfelt message. In his statement, the player revealed he struggled with anxiety, sleep and other mental issues during these recent days. Due to the burden caused by these issues, the player decided last minute to withdraw from the competition. He also expressed his gratitude towards his teammates and Tundra for supporting him with his decision. During their time at The Bali Major, the player also had to return home due to an undisclosed illness. The team wished him a speedy recovery as they announced Aui 2000 is going to step up to fill Saksa’s shoes.
The Record Shows
The Riyadh Masters 2023 is not the first time Tundra Esports made last-minute changes to its roster in the middle of the tournament. Their coach also had to standin for the team during The Bali Major. Despite playing with a standin, the team made a deep run at the tournament. Eventually, they were knocked down to the lower bracket at the upper bracket semi-finals by Gaimin Gladiators, where Team Liquid eliminated them. Even playing with a standin’ Tundra displayed a fantastic performance, eventually securing a second runner-up at the tournament.
Currently, at The Riyadh Masters 2023, Tundra directly qualified for the Group Stage seed. Returning as a standin, the coach helps secure a tie for his team against Shopify Rebellion. However, Tundra lost the following match against Team Aster. With no wins, two ties and two losses, Tundra is at the bottom team of Group B. They only have two series remaining to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Featured Image Source: Twitter/@TundraEsports