Rao brothers — Srinivasa Rao and Muralidhara Rao — are among the finest coaches in the country who have helped scores of table tennis players make a mark. Srinivasa, a Dronacharya awardee and father of Sharath Kamal, has always insisted upon imparting the right basics to his wards. Sixteen-year-old paddler Nikkhil Menon is the latest to benefit from the tutelage of Rao brothers.
Nikkhil delivered a stellar performance to clinch the gold medal in the Under-17 category at the World Youth Contender Table Tennis Championship 2026, held in Manama, Bahrain. In doing so, he reinforced his position as one of India’s brightest young talents in the sport. Nikkhil beat Alexander Malov from Spain in the quarterfinals 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 to enter the semifinals where he defeated Kim Ryeowin from Korea 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8. In the finals, Nikkhil beat Leon Vlasov from Russia 14-12, 11-8, 11-6.
The teenager attributes his good show to solid preparation and guidance from his coaches. “I watched many matches of these (his opponents) players, recorded statistics of their style, and worked towards it. This preparation helped me a lot when I faced them in the matches,” said Nikkhil.
He trains at the Mylapore Sports Trust under the Rao brothers and also takes inputs from Meenakshi (coach). He also trains at SDAT-SK Academy at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
Nikkhil stressed that the matches were tough, but the final win against Russia was special. “Right from the pre-quarterfinals, the rounds began to get tougher. The match went up to the deciders and I had to mentally stay strong till the end, to win and enter the quarterfinals where I beat a player from Spain (Alexander Malov) in straight sets. The semifinals were all the more tougher as I had to play against a Korean (Kim Ryeowin) who had a higher world ranking than me. I lost the first set, so I had to gather my strength to win the next three sets,” said Nikkhil. “However, the final was the toughest as the Russian (Leon Vlasov) had beaten several good players, including the No 1 ranked player in the U-17 category,” he explained.
A Class XI student, Nikkhil has taken the NIOS open-schooling route to balance academics with sports. His early promise was evident when he won the National Championship Gold at the age of 12. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. Srinivasa Rao is all praise for his pupil. “Creditable win (U-17 WTT Title). What separates him from others is his attacking instinct. He is an attacking player and does not get cowed down by the opposition even if he is a higher ranked player,” said Srinivasa Rao.
Known for his exceptional composure, Nikkhil draws inspiration from Sharath Kamal, who has expressed confidence in his potential to become one of India’s top players. Nikkhil’s long-term goal is set firmly on qualifying for the 2032 Olympic Games and representing India on the global stage. He will next be seen in action in the WTT Youth Contender at Poland and Saudi Arabia in March 2026.