Diya Chitale hopes to carry UTT momentum into Asian Games
CHENNAI: Conventionally, Diya Chitale is not from a sporting family. Her parents, Parag and Rashmi Chitale are teachers, while other close relatives are doctors. Now, she is playing in her debut season of Ultimate Table Tennis, the 19-year-old is enjoying the pressure and promise of the league.
"I come from a family with an educational background. Nobody has played sports professionally," Chitale told this daily.
"I took table tennis up as a hobby when I was eight. I started training in Khar Gymkhana. The turning point for me came in 2014 when I won the silver medal in the U12 Nationals. With that, I wanted to pursue it as a career. I have not looked back since then."
And what a journey it has been for her. Since the inception of the UTT, she has watched the tournament reach new heights as a spectator, wishing to be part of it. "Ever since UTT started in 2017, I always wanted to play in the tournament. For the past three seasons, I have been watching the matches closely. But being part of this experience and getting that exposure has taught me a lot," she added.
In the UTT, where every game carries equal weightage, there is a chance to grab points and take a team over the line. "The format in this league is tough. Every game matters. There is so much pressure for every point. Everyone screams like it's the last point (laughs). Even if you are 2-0 up, it's not over. Even if you are 0-2 down also, you have to try to pull yourself out of that and fight for the last point again."
And representing the U Mumba side, Chitale has helped them clinch points against renowned and higher-ranked players. Like, for example, even in her loss against Australia's Yangzi Liu, her point against the Chennai Lion paddler proved the point of difference in the eventual win for Mumbai. Chitale believes that fightback gave her a lot of confidence.
"It's not so much about the technical aspect of the skills that they have different, but more about the belief system and mental aspect. Sometimes when we go into the match, we feel they are better than us. But when you are training with them, playing against them, it changes. This gives me a lot of belief and confidence that I'm on the right path and that we can win against foreign players," a confident Chitale said.
With her first-ever Asian Games appearance a month away, Chitale is trying to absorb as much as she can from the UTT. "I think this has been a great experience and atmosphere for me to learn to handle myself better. This will help me in international tournaments. Representing India at the Asian Games was one of the milestones that I had set for myself. We are aiming to give our best and hopefully, we can bring back medals for India," she concluded.