Strange week for victorious Sharath Kamal
NEW DELHI: Fresh from his Oman Open triumph, A Sharath Kamal reached Chennai in the wee hours of Monday. He is currently in the safety of his home, and planning how to bide his time during this self-imposed quarantine period. Having travelled to various parts of the world, this trip was something he had never experienced.
From eerily quiet airports, almost empty aircrafts to playing and winning a Pro Tour tournament sans the usual hype, the 37-year-old has seen the impact of the COVID-19 up close and personal. “It’s been a strange week to say the least. I was not even sure whether to play. The Polish Open, which was supposed to take place concurrently, was cancelled and only after confirming with the tournament director did I finally agree to travel, despite my family asking me not to.
“Most talk on the sidelines was how players were coping, what their plans were now that the ITTF has suspended all activities till April. It was a strange atmosphere to play in to say the least,” Sharath told this daily.It took a lot of mental toughness to focus on matches instead of what was going on around him. On Sunday, at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Sharath endured two gruelling matches, one seven-setter and another six, en route his second ITTF title, after the 2010 Egypt Open.
More than the contests, something else bothered him. “Everyone was asking my age and all reports which were published had my age in bold. It’s like if I don’t do well, people talk of my age. If I do well, people still bring up my age. They forget that passion and hard work are what matters, not age,” he added.
But he admits that experience saved him on Sunday. “On the final day, lights and table placements were changed. It hampered my service as I could not spot the ball. If I were younger, I would have shouted and played all aggressive and lost. But now, I know how to have contingencies ready in case of problems,” he said.
He went on to say that he is in the best phase of his career, mentally and physically. “The last time I was so motivated was in 2018. I have lost weight and I’m in the best possible shape. I now know when to train and when to rest. I was pumped up for the Asian qualifiers and the Tokyo Olympics, but now all this momentum will be lost.”With no action possible at least for the next one-and-half months, Sharath will look at physical and mental health during this period of self quarantine. “I have asked my gym trainer to specify the routines. The main thing is to keep the fire burning inside. These are unprecedented times but an athlete cannot afford to take things easy. I will continue to keep myself motivated.”
Paddlers to stay indoors
The Sports Authority of India sent a letter to TTFI asking all players as well as foreign coach Brett Clarke, who had accompanied the players, to quarantine themselves for 14 days. All players, with the exception of Harmeet Desai, came back to India. Desai returned to Germany for training.