NiKo Outlines the Steps Needed for a Return to the Top Level

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač has spoken about what he needs to work on in order to return to his former elite level of play. The Team Falcons rifler gave an in-depth interview during the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 tournament, where he openly assessed his current form and recent results.

According to the Bosnian player, the key task at the moment is regaining consistency — both across entire tournaments and in individual matches. NiKo noted that in the past he almost never had weak performances at events, but over the last year there have been quite a few tournaments where his rating dropped below 1.00, which became an alarming signal for him.

“I realized what I want to do at majors. I think I handled it well. Nothing extraordinary was required from me. It’s more about wanting to be a bit more consistent at individual tournaments and in specific matches.

Usually, I didn’t have bad performances at tournaments. At least, that wasn’t something that happened before. But over the last year, there were quite a few events where my rating was below one. For me, that felt strange.

Right now, the main thing for me is finding consistency within Falcons. I feel like I’ve already adapted to my role and to the space I have within the team. I’m still confident that I’m one of the best players in the world. I don’t think I’m burned out or anything like that. At this point, it’s all about working on myself and returning to my previous level.”

NiKo also stated that he is comfortable with his position on the Falcons’ roster. In fact, he doesn’t think he is even dealing with professional burnout. As far as he is concerned, he can return to the top through disciplined efforts at self-improvement.

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NiKo kicked off the 2026 season with a victory in an official match, and Team Falcons went on to beat ECSTATIC 2-0 in the BLAST Bounty Winter Qualifier. Kovač wound up the match with a 24-20 stat card and an average rating of 1.03, which represented the first leg of his return to optimal playing form.