JerAx revealed why he left the pro scene after The International 2019

Two-time The International champion Jesse JerAx Vainikka shared the reasons why he decided to end his pro career after The International 2019.

"I've been thinking about it for quite a while. If I remember correctly, my interest in the game had been fading for about a year now. I tried to find new ways to motivate myself to keep playing, but it wasn't the same level as before, when I was very deep into the game and wanted to understand all the smallest details. 

My way to motivate myself to play ranked matches non-stop in those days was to think hard about how I needed to practice today to be useful to my team."

Jesse also talked about why he later returned to the pro scene as a member of Evil Geniuses. 

"There were players on that team that I wanted to play with, like Cr1t- and Arteezy. Those were really the people I looked up to throughout my career. I felt like there was more to it. And if I got a chance to play with those guys, I'd give one last chance to the pro scene, something like that. I still had the desire to compete, and I also liked the fact that I would be playing a new position. I felt like it was a good challenge for me."

As a reminder, JerAx returned to the competitive scene on November 20, 2021, joining Evil Geniuses as a full-support.

After the team's disappointing performance at Stockholm Major 2022, JerAx left EG and announced his intention to remain active on the scene as a position 4, 5 or coach.

He later joined Team Liquid as a coach. He left Liquid after The International 2022, citing that he doesn't feel the same way about Dota as he did before.

As CyberScore previously reported, 33 spoke about his duties at Team Liquid.