Former professional CS2 player Denis “deko” Zhukov commented on the notion that he failed to reach high results on the competitive scene due to laziness.
Well, regarding laziness, that`s probably an incorrect statement. It`s more about making the wrong choices sometimes, or being invited at a bad time, like when I was already re-signing a contract, and the next day someone would write and say: `Hey, want to join our team?`
[Asked about the OG situation] No, with OG, they just wrote to ask if I could play for them as a stand-in for a tournament. After playing, it`s unclear if they would have invited me permanently. But first, I didn`t see the message. Second, I didn`t have a visa then. I wouldn`t have managed to get it in a week.
[Asked if it was just a series of wrong decisions] No, at some point I did become lazy, but if you take, say, the first two years of my career, I wasn`t lazy at all. I practiced individually, probably without a single day off, when I first started and was trying to prove myself, for the first four months. So, if the team went to a bar, water park, or movie, I stayed and trained.
Deko began competing in CS tournaments in 2017. Over his career, he played for clubs such as Quantum Bellator Fire, EXTREMUM, 1WIN, and Aurora Gaming, earning around $164,000 in prize money. In November 2024, Zhukov announced he was moving to inactive status.