mezii returns to Vitality after paternity leave, reflects on missing BLAST Porto

William "mezii" Merriman returned to competition with Vitality at StarSeries Fall after sitting out BLAST Open Porto for the birth of his second child. The British rifler reflected on his absence and the challenge of balancing professional esports with fatherhood.

"It's never fun watching from home," mezii told HLTV after Vitality's match against FURIA. "I definitely had a different viewing experience to probably most people. Got my two-year-old, almost two-year-old running around screaming with toys whilst I'm trying to watch the boys play."

Vitality secured their place in the upper bracket final with a resounding victory over FURIA on day two of the tournament. Despite returning while sick and admitting to still being rusty, mezii emphasized the importance of competing at full strength for the remainder of the season.

"It's so weird when you're not there," mezii said about watching teammates play without him. "It's like all your friends are at a party, and you're not invited to this party, so it's just good to be back on the server."

Vitality's focus remains on winning trophies with their full roster, particularly ahead of the CS:GO Major in Singapore. Teammate Dan "apEX" Madesclaire is set to miss PGL Masters Bucharest in October for his own paternity leave, meaning the team will continue to operate with stand-ins at certain events.

"For us, it's just to prove to everyone that we can still win trophies, and it is important to, as this five, just make the most of these tournaments," mezii explained. "Even though we've had so much success, you never know when the next win's going to be."

He acknowledged the disappointing finish at IEM Cologne, where Vitality fell short of the Major title, and stressed the importance of entering the Singapore Major fully prepared. "The main goal has always been the Major for this season," he said. "Any of the ones we can pick up on the way is great, but the Major is the big one."