‘Singles medal my principal objective’: Sathiyan Gnanasekaran
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Within the 4 years since India’s paddlers glittered in Gold Coast with an eight-medal haul, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran has been a part of a first-ever Asian Video games Indian workforce medal, breached the top-25 singles world rankings and brushed apart a few prime 10 gamers on the tour. On the 2018 CWG, Sathiyan had a neat unfold of a gold (workforce), silver (doubles) and bronze (blended). In singles on the multi-nation occasions, it’s but to return collectively for the 29-year-old and translate right into a medal.
And that's exactly what India’s highest-ranked singles paddler is out to do in Birmingham. Excerpts from the chat with the world No 35:
The 2018 CWG not solely elevated Indian desk tennis but in addition your standing in it. How have you ever developed as a participant from then?
I’ve definitely grow to be a extra mature participant. I’ve improved on the courtroom intelligence, on-court motion, footwork, understanding of gamers’ strengths and weaknesses. The 2018 CWG was my first such occasion, and now I’ve (the expertise of) three in CWG, Asian Video games and Olympics. Mentally I’m higher ready now. The final 4 years have been an awesome studying expertise for me. I’ve seen all of it: large Video games, Covid, journey. On the sport entrance, I’ve began to play extra aggressively and improved on the serve and obtain. There have been some particular enhancements that ought to turn out to be useful on the CWG.
You've got had a whole lot of firsts in the previous couple of years, however maybe the one factor lacking is a singles medal at a multi-nation occasion…
One in all my main objectives on this CWG is to win a singles medal as effectively. It’s going to be exhausting. Pitch (England’s Liam Pitchford, ranked 19) and Aruna (Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, ranked 12) are there among the many prime 20 other than just a few different England gamers and, in fact, Sharath (Kamal) and I. So it’s a packed subject. And such Video games are at all times completely different. However the way in which I’ve been enjoying, I feel I've an awesome likelihood. Little doubt, singles medal would be the hardest, however that's my principal objective. And in workforce, doubles and blended, we’re primed to win a medal as effectively. I actually need to change the color of my medal in males’s and blended doubles from final time.
What has been your greatest studying from the second-round exit in singles from Tokyo Olympics?
I might see how vital it's to maintain altering methods, have variations in your sport (Sathiyan misplaced to the then Ninety fifth-ranked Lam Siu-hang 3-4 after being 3-1 up). As soon as you're within the lead and your opponent comes again with one thing, you really want to have Plan B, Plan C, two-three sturdy methods. You must work in your sport on that entrance as a substitute of simply going blind. So I began to work on completely different areas of my sport, prefer to have extra variations in my armour. And to enhance on my bodily strengths—have extra explosive energy behind my strokes. Mentally, I've a significantly better understanding now of how it's to play in a Video games-like occasion. And that’s one thing I've realized quite a bit from Tokyo.
You’ve tasted victories in opposition to top-10 gamers, world No 7 Darko Jorgic being the latest in Zagreb final month. Is it now about doing that at a extra constant foundation particularly within the greater occasions?
Beating a participant like Darko, the very best European in the meanwhile, was an awesome win. It couldn’t have come at a greater time simply earlier than the CWG. It has given me an awesome signal of confidence, and likewise positivity that I’m headed in the best route in my aggressive sport fashion. Enjoying aggressive is the one key to defeating top-10 gamers. I’ve at all times been a extra constant, rallying sort of participant, however that’s solely good as much as a sure stage. If you wish to break into the highest 10, it's a must to take your probabilities, prepare that manner and play daring desk tennis. It’s a piece in progress, however I imagine there'll solely be enhancements going forward.
You and Manika have been making just a few deep runs in WTT tournaments as a blended pair. How has it been enjoying and coaching along with her after Tokyo?
I feel the outcomes have been talking for themselves. The progress we’ve proven within the final 8-9 months is one thing that has even shocked us, to be frank. It’s phenomenal that in simply 8-9 months, we’re aiming to beat the highest 3-4 pairs on this planet (the Indian duo is ranked sixth). We complement one another in our sport kinds, and likewise spend high quality time coaching. We perceive one another’s sport, velocity, ways very well. Our main objective is the Paris Olympics, and within the lead-up if we are able to choose up the gold in Birmingham, it is going to be wonderful.
Is there perception within the squad you could match the 2018 tally regardless of the difficult build-up involving choice points and courtroom instances?
It’s not going be simple, particularly with the competitors. England and Nigeria are a lot stronger groups this time round. Eight medals was a dream for desk tennis. If we are able to replicate that, I'd say this might be even higher than Gold Coast. As a result of having that sort of background after which coming again to win eight, it is going to be one thing. However even when we win 5-6 medals, I'd nonetheless name it a implausible CWG. If we transcend that, all of the extra wonderful.
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