Achanta Sharath Kamal is set to retire from table tennis at a time when the sport is probably getting the sustained attention it has never experienced before.
The country has been performing well and breaking new ground at the international level. It has also a popular franchise league in Ultimate Table Tennis.
To a large extent, Sharath is the athlete who has brought this change in Indian table tennis.
With his ability to adapt to different equipment and scoring-system changes in the sport, he showed an entire generation what it meant to rise above any obstacle in pursuit of success.
In an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the launch event of the WTT (World Table Tennis) Star Contender Chennai, his career’s last professional tournament which will be played from March 25 to 30 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, he reflected on some of the biggest moments of his journey as a player and also spoke about his future plans where he continues to be involved in the sport’s development.
Excerpts:
How big is this moment for you and has it sunk in yet that you have announced your retirement?
I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Many times, I also joke that I’ve passed the retirement age to announce the retirement. I’m very excited about the next part of my career. I’ve contributed a lot as a player. Now, I can contribute equally in the next part of my career as an administrator or as a high-performance director.
You’re 42 years old and still, the highest-ranked Indian man at 42nd in the WTT Rankings. Do you think you have timed your retirement well?
Yes, pretty much. It was about leaving on a high.
There’s that question about retirement which always rang a bell in my mind – why not or why now? When I look at other legends playing the sport, there are a lot of talks about retirement. As a senior athlete, a lot of times, the question is ‘Why not? Why is he not retiring?’
I’m still fit. I’m one of the best in the country at the international level. So, why now? The answer to that question is that I’ve done my bit as a player, and now I can help in building a structure and system in place to help the transition of the Indian players to the international level.
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Was there ever a moment in your career where someone doubted your abilities and you felt the need to prove yourself to them?
More than people, I felt like I doubted my own decision. It took me nearly five years before I became a national champion, and those five years of struggle between my 10th standard and third year of graduation were very tough. I used to win all the state ranking tournaments but at the national level, I used to lose in the first or second round. There were doubts – Am I doing the right thing? Because I had to prove it to society that I want to be a professional table tennis player.
There were doubts after a major injury in 2015 whether I’ll be able to live an active life as a sports person. Will I be able to compete at the highest level? Through those tough times, one thing has been constant – the support from people around me and their belief was stronger than my doubts at that point.
You had an amazing haul of 13 medals at the Commonwealth Games. What did that event mean to you?
My wife jokes that since table tennis is not there at the next Commonwealth Games, so I am retiring.
2006 was when it all started for me. Of course, India won its first share of medals in 2002, but 2006 (gold in men’s singles and men’s team events) gave me that jump board into the international level. People started to hear about this kid from India who has been doing well and how they would like to work with him and sign up with him. That is when I went to Europe and got a few offers. From there, I continued my journey. To finish off on a high in 2022 with three golds and one silver and talking to the Prime Minister in his residence, sharing my experience, and him watching our mixed doubles final where I was partnering Sreeja Akula are moments I feel very proud of and I am really happy that I have been able to inspire a whole generation.
Sharath Kamal in 2003
| Photo Credit:
Vino John
Sharath Kamal in 2003
| Photo Credit:
Vino John
In terms of upsetting top-ranked players on the professional tour, which performances do you consider to be among best?
At the India Open in 2017, I lost to the then 13-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto. But I had beaten a Japanese (Yuto Muramatsu) in the round of the 16. In the quarterfinals, I beat Paul Drinkhall. In the second round, I beat a French player (Can Akkuzu).
When you look at Singapore Smash from last year, I went from qualifying rounds to the quarterfinals, so I’ve had some fantastic tournaments that way.
One thing that’s been good is that in India, I’ve always played well.
Be it the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Asia Cup, the India Open or Pro Tour tournaments, I’ve always done well on home soil. I really hope I’ll be able to show that magic back again in Chennai.
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You played at five Olympic Games. You have mentioned on several occasions that your match against China’s Ma Long at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was probably one of the best of your career, even though you lost 4-1. What was your mindset going into that clash and your thoughts after the match got over?
The preparation for the mindset that I had in that match was done over the last four years, and it took so much of time to understand what I had come into. Before playing Ma Long at the Olympic Games, I had never won even a game against him (since 2007). I always lost 0-3 or 0-4 against him. Getting into the Olympic Games, I was frustrated with the draw but the thought process from my team and my coaches was that just because you lost earlier doesn’t mean you are going to have a handicap in your mind. Match is going to start at 0-0 and he needs to win 11 points to win a game. So, make sure that he earns those 11 points and don’t give any points for free. That was the mindset I had.
First game, which I lost, was very close. I won the second and the third went into a tiebreak where he took the timeout, shifted gears and the momentum changed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t end the match on a positive note and felt very disappointed. As soon as I lost, I came to the coach and started complaining that the same thing happened everytime and I hadn’t learnt stuff in 20 years. But when I came back to my room and saw my messages on WhatsApp and social media, that’s when I understood the kind of impact that I had made on every Indian who had watched that match. I had made sure that everybody felt like if Sharath Kamal can do that, they can do that.
At the recent Asia Cup in China, none of our players could make it out of the group stage. What do you think is still required to consistently match the level of the players from China, Japan, Korea, or Chinese Taipei?
The comparison is between countries which have had a fantastic tradition and great structure behind that tradition which makes it very tough for the rest of the world. Countries like India have started doing well on the international circuit only in the last six to eight years. Until 2016, it was just me going as a lone warrior everywhere. But over the last eight years, there’s been a good amount of talent that has been doing well at the international level. Of course, the most important fact for us is to consistently perform.
We’ve done well at the Olympic Games, especially the women’s team which reached the quarterfinals. Generally after the Olympic Games, there’s a slight slump if you look at all the top players. So, with the Indian players also, I think this would be the case. I’m pretty sure that with the world championships coming up in two to three months from now, we’ll again be back on track.
You have also held positions in the IOA (Indian Olympic Association) Athletes Commission as vice-chairperson and ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Athletes Commission where you have to deal with the players. IOA Athletes Commission faced a lot of criticisms about how it dealt with the wrestler’s protest. How difficult it is to be seen on the side of the players rather than the administrators? Going forward as a complete administrator, how difficult will it be to satisfy the players?
As an athlete, you are thinking about yourself and the sports world technically. As an administrator, you have to take into consideration more stakeholders, especially the business point of view, the different bureaucracy and diplomatic relationships in this matter. But I still feel the players’ voices have to be heard because at the end of the day, without the athletes, there is no sport as such.
Also, the athletes have to be educated to make them understand certain important aspects as the administrators or as organisers of events. There has to be a balance in terms of making both parties understand, and that is what my current role is, and I am really happy doing that part. When I got elected for these positions, I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I was elected because the players had the trust in me, and I am really happy I am able to live up to the trust and getting the necessary changes in the ITTF board.
Recently, I was on the task force when Olympic champions Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng announced their retirement from table tennis, saying that the fines and the penalties from the WTT were too high. Immediately, a task force was formed, and we gave certain suggestions. Many of them were implemented by WTT. They want the organisation to have an athlete-centric program. In terms of mandatory events, they gave exceptions to two events. The ‘Champions’, and the ‘Smashes’ are no longer mandatory tournaments. In terms of hospitality, the prices and number of minimum days have been reduced but at the same time, the prize money has increased.
So, these are factors which the players are fighting for, and I have been able to help the players voice out their requests to the administration. At the same time, I have tried to bring the point of view of the administrators to the players in terms of the necessities of a commercial setup because when the players want more prize money, then there are certain responsibilities of the players also that come along with which the players will have to fulfill.
