MinD_ContRoL explains why he retired from pro play and became a coach

Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov stated that he decided to retire from professional play due to a lack of significant results in recent years and burnout.

He shared his thoughts on YouTube.

“As for my esports career, I stopped because I was trying too hard to replicate the success I had before 2018 — winning a Major, winning TI. I gave it everything I had, constantly sacrificing things, and after that peak I almost never took long breaks.

The longest break I ever had was one month, and that happened only once. Usually, I would rest for just a few days and keep pushing forward, probably all the way until 2024. I never really stopped during that time. The results and successes kept becoming fewer and fewer, and that affected me mentally. I became very negative because I just couldn’t find success again. Nothing worked with Nigma Galaxy, with Tundra Esports, or with other stand-in rosters. I couldn’t even get back to Rank 1 on the leaderboard.

I think I always felt that I had the skills, but lacked mental strength. Psychologically, I wasn’t strong enough to achieve what I had set out to do. I truly wanted it all this time. This year, I realized that I was tired of trying and not getting results, tired of watching others succeed — not everyone, of course, but there are so many new players coming into the scene.”

According to Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov, he desperately wanted to recreate the success of the early stages of his career, but the lack of desired results and the need to dedicate nearly all of his time to the game left him exhausted. MinD_ContRoL admitted that he had originally planned to leave esports entirely, but an offer to become a coach for REKONIX caught his interest.

“At first, I wanted to quit the game completely and wasn’t even thinking about coaching. When the guys from Rekonix asked whether I wanted to try coaching, I became interested. We agreed to treat it as an experiment — to see whether I could do it, whether I had the ability for it, and whether I would enjoy the process. I needed at least a month with them to figure things out for myself. And now I’m gradually getting into it. It’s obviously very different from being a player.”

Earlier, Alexander 'TORONTOTOKYO' Khertek also spoke about his plans for retirement after leaving OG.