<p>Bengaluru: It might not seem so now, but eventually, it will dawn on folks - the table tennis community in particular - that Achanta Sharath Kamal’s impending retirement means an end to more than just his legacy as the greatest table tennis player from India. </p>.Indian TT great Sharath Kamal to call time on glorious career after WTT Contender Chennai.<p>Kamal’s journey will end where it began 22 years ago in Chennai, a place he calls home, but he isn’t in the least caught up with the end-of-March swan song for it sounds like the 42-year-old has already embraced the next phase. </p>.<p>DH caught up with the five-time Olympian, 13-time Commonwealth Games medallist, two-time Asian Games bronze medallist and 10-time national champion. </p>.<p>Excerpts:</p>.<p><strong>On the decision to retire</strong>: Not a very difficult decision to be honest. Let’s just say I passed the age of retirement (laughs). Very few players in history have played beyond the age of 40, but personally, I feel like some of the best TT came after my 40s. The thought (to retire) was there soon after the Paris Games because I knew I couldn’t continue to play at the highest level for another four years till the next Olympics. So, I thought about it a while and figured I might as well close out my career right where it started, at home. </p>.<p><strong>On future plans</strong>: The game has given me much more than I will ever be able to give back, but I should start giving back more now. So, in the future, you might see me as a coach, an administrator, a mentor or something else. I am going to figure out a new future or a new way of TT for our country and that’s my desire. The game deserves it and the people who play it deserve the best too. </p>.<p><strong>On the game from when he started to now</strong>: Over the last two decades, the outlook towards sport has changed entirely. It used to be a very amateurish set-up, and that’s also why we were 36th in the world when I played my first World Championship. Now, we’re not far from being in the top ten. We’ve come this far because we have become more professional. Now, people from around the world are talking about Indian players. Before, it was only about those from the Orientals or from Europe. People used to ask me when I used to go to international tournaments if Indians even played TT. Now, those same people respect us. While I may have played a part in this transition, I think there have been structural changes and societal improvements which have really helped the sport. I may have only been a catalyst.</p>.<p><strong>On the future of Indian TT</strong>: (Laughs) I am not kidding when I say this but when I see some young kids playing, I am not sure I will be able to beat them. Even if I am ranked as highly on the world circuit, these kids are brilliant and with the right direction, they can easily become the best in the world. That also explains why we qualified for the Olympics as a team, and we really came close to something great there. But, these kids are aggressive, they’re professional and they go all out all the time. </p>.<p><strong>On the mental aspect of playing TT</strong>: Especially when you become a professional, there are a lot of mental challenges that come your way. When we were growing up, our coach was everything, even a shoulder to cry on because, at this level, you’re bound to break down. Now you have specialists for everything so you really shouldn’t hesitate to get help from them. At the highest level, sport is injurious to both body and mind. It takes a toll on you, and you need to learn to listen, not just to your body, but also to your mind and when it asks you to rest. </p>.<p><strong>On handling emotions</strong>: I learnt it because of my uncle. I remember he would always tell me ‘Do not react when you lose a point, but when you win a point, make sure your opponent knows’. I never understood that as a kid, but as I got older, I realised that so much of TT is in the mind and you need to know how to tap into that to defeat opponents. In that process, I also learnt how to be more patient with myself. Truth is, I was like every other kid in school. I would get angry, lose my cool, break the paddle, and start crying even before the game was lost. But, then I became calm and learnt how to breathe and get past all these things.</p>.<p><strong>On what India can do to get better</strong>: I don’t think we should compare ourselves to other countries in creating a programme for India. We need to learn how to establish our own culture. Sure, we can take points from others, but we have to identify our strengths and build on them. We need a solid structure in place, and we need consistent bench strength. We do that and we’ll get to the highest level. It won’t be fast, but it will be certain.</p>.<p><strong>On his favourite moment</strong>: I really can't pick one, there are so many. You know I have this picture at home with me holding all my medals, it's so rewarding to see that image because it reminds me of all the things I have done, and I genuinely forget about all that sometimes. But, seriously, if I had to pick one moment, I think it was the Asian Games medals in 2018, we won something for the first time at that level in 60 years. I think will always remain my favourite memory.</p>.<p><strong>Sharath feats</strong></p><p>1. Ten-time National Champion Seven Commonwealth Games gold medals </p><p>2. Three silver and 3 bronze Two Asian Games bronze medals.</p><p>3. Five Olympic appearances.</p><p>4. Padma Shri Award (2019) </p><p>5. Khel Ratna Award (2022) </p><p>6. First Indian to win a singles title on ITTF Pro Tour</p>
<p>Bengaluru: It might not seem so now, but eventually, it will dawn on folks - the table tennis community in particular - that Achanta Sharath Kamal’s impending retirement means an end to more than just his legacy as the greatest table tennis player from India. </p>.Indian TT great Sharath Kamal to call time on glorious career after WTT Contender Chennai.<p>Kamal’s journey will end where it began 22 years ago in Chennai, a place he calls home, but he isn’t in the least caught up with the end-of-March swan song for it sounds like the 42-year-old has already embraced the next phase. </p>.<p>DH caught up with the five-time Olympian, 13-time Commonwealth Games medallist, two-time Asian Games bronze medallist and 10-time national champion. </p>.<p>Excerpts:</p>.<p><strong>On the decision to retire</strong>: Not a very difficult decision to be honest. Let’s just say I passed the age of retirement (laughs). Very few players in history have played beyond the age of 40, but personally, I feel like some of the best TT came after my 40s. The thought (to retire) was there soon after the Paris Games because I knew I couldn’t continue to play at the highest level for another four years till the next Olympics. So, I thought about it a while and figured I might as well close out my career right where it started, at home. </p>.<p><strong>On future plans</strong>: The game has given me much more than I will ever be able to give back, but I should start giving back more now. So, in the future, you might see me as a coach, an administrator, a mentor or something else. I am going to figure out a new future or a new way of TT for our country and that’s my desire. The game deserves it and the people who play it deserve the best too. </p>.<p><strong>On the game from when he started to now</strong>: Over the last two decades, the outlook towards sport has changed entirely. It used to be a very amateurish set-up, and that’s also why we were 36th in the world when I played my first World Championship. Now, we’re not far from being in the top ten. We’ve come this far because we have become more professional. Now, people from around the world are talking about Indian players. Before, it was only about those from the Orientals or from Europe. People used to ask me when I used to go to international tournaments if Indians even played TT. Now, those same people respect us. While I may have played a part in this transition, I think there have been structural changes and societal improvements which have really helped the sport. I may have only been a catalyst.</p>.<p><strong>On the future of Indian TT</strong>: (Laughs) I am not kidding when I say this but when I see some young kids playing, I am not sure I will be able to beat them. Even if I am ranked as highly on the world circuit, these kids are brilliant and with the right direction, they can easily become the best in the world. That also explains why we qualified for the Olympics as a team, and we really came close to something great there. But, these kids are aggressive, they’re professional and they go all out all the time. </p>.<p><strong>On the mental aspect of playing TT</strong>: Especially when you become a professional, there are a lot of mental challenges that come your way. When we were growing up, our coach was everything, even a shoulder to cry on because, at this level, you’re bound to break down. Now you have specialists for everything so you really shouldn’t hesitate to get help from them. At the highest level, sport is injurious to both body and mind. It takes a toll on you, and you need to learn to listen, not just to your body, but also to your mind and when it asks you to rest. </p>.<p><strong>On handling emotions</strong>: I learnt it because of my uncle. I remember he would always tell me ‘Do not react when you lose a point, but when you win a point, make sure your opponent knows’. I never understood that as a kid, but as I got older, I realised that so much of TT is in the mind and you need to know how to tap into that to defeat opponents. In that process, I also learnt how to be more patient with myself. Truth is, I was like every other kid in school. I would get angry, lose my cool, break the paddle, and start crying even before the game was lost. But, then I became calm and learnt how to breathe and get past all these things.</p>.<p><strong>On what India can do to get better</strong>: I don’t think we should compare ourselves to other countries in creating a programme for India. We need to learn how to establish our own culture. Sure, we can take points from others, but we have to identify our strengths and build on them. We need a solid structure in place, and we need consistent bench strength. We do that and we’ll get to the highest level. It won’t be fast, but it will be certain.</p>.<p><strong>On his favourite moment</strong>: I really can't pick one, there are so many. You know I have this picture at home with me holding all my medals, it's so rewarding to see that image because it reminds me of all the things I have done, and I genuinely forget about all that sometimes. But, seriously, if I had to pick one moment, I think it was the Asian Games medals in 2018, we won something for the first time at that level in 60 years. I think will always remain my favourite memory.</p>.<p><strong>Sharath feats</strong></p><p>1. Ten-time National Champion Seven Commonwealth Games gold medals </p><p>2. Three silver and 3 bronze Two Asian Games bronze medals.</p><p>3. Five Olympic appearances.</p><p>4. Padma Shri Award (2019) </p><p>5. Khel Ratna Award (2022) </p><p>6. First Indian to win a singles title on ITTF Pro Tour</p>