Dota 2: Saksa drops out of US$1 million DreamLeague Season 19 event due to burnout
Saksa says he will take a break to focus on preparing for the upcoming Berlin Major.
Martin "Saksa" Sazdov, the position 4 support player for The International 11 (TI11) champions Tundra Esports, dropped out of the US$1 million DreamLeague Season 19 tournament on Wednesday (12 April) due to burnout.
In a post on his personal Twitter account, Saksa said he has "been feeling burnt out lately" and will be skipping out on DreamLeague Season 19 to instead prepare for the upcoming Berlin Major, which is set to begin on 26 April.
"Been feeling pretty burnt out lately, will be taking a break from playing in DreamLeague so I can mentally reset and be ready to play in the Major," said Saksa.
Tundra also announced that they will continue playing in DreamLeague Season 19 with Adam "Aramis" Moroz standing-in for Saksa.
The gruelling DPC and its toll
Considering how gruelling the competition in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) can be, especially for the top teams, it shouldn't be too surprising that even a TI champ like Saksa is feeling burnout.
After winning TI11 last October, Saksa and Tundra only had three months to rest before the 2023 DPC season kicked off in early January. It's a much shorter offseason compared to most of the top professional sports leagues around the world.
So far this season, Tundra has played in the Winter Tour regional league, the Lima Major, and the Spring Tour regional league. Outside of the DPC, Tundra has also played in the BetBoom Universe: Episode I - Comics Zone and is currently playing in DreamLeague Season 19.
In addition to playing in official matches, Tundra also go through constant practices and scrimmages, as does any other team in the DPC looking to remain sharp.
And while DreamLeague Season 19's US$1 million prize pool does have twice the prize pool of the Berlin Major, the latter is certainly more important.
The Berlin Major will be giving away DPC points, which will go towards securing all-important direct invites to this year's TI. Even if Tundra are the reigning TI champions, they still have to earn the right to defend their title by grinding in the DPC.
Given the circumstances, Saksa's choice to miss out on a US$1 million tournament and instead focus on his mental health is certainly understandable.
Saksa is also not the only player to miss out on competition this season due to health reasons.
Team Liquid's Samuel "Boxi" Svahn was forced to exit the Lima Major due to a health emergency, even if the team was set to play in the Major's upper bracket finals at the time. While Liquid was still able to reach the Grand Finals despite Boxi's absence, they lost the title to Gaimin Gladiators in a 0-3 sweep.
Nigma Galaxy's Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi has elected to miss out on the 2023 DPC season altogether due to lingering health issues. With that said, he did return to the team as a stand-in for DreamLeague Season 19.
Tundra fans can still watch the team in action in DreamLeague Season 19, which will run until 23 April.
The TI11 champions are expected to be back in full strength for the Berlin Major, which is set to take place from 26 April to 7 May. For everything you need to know about the Berlin Major, check here.
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