NEW DELHI: After a gap of almost a year during which he had little to no match practice, A Sharath Kamal went to Doha ahead of the two WTT events and the Olympic qualifiers thinking it would be a tough ride in which he would have to reevaluate himself to understand where he stands.
It has been anything but that with two pre-quarterfinal finishes, which included impressive wins over World No 16 Germany's Patrick Franziska and World No 51 Pavel Sirucek, who was the chief architect during India's loss at the team Olympic Qualifier last year. The 38-year-old also fought admirably against Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov (World No 10) and World No 7 Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei.
"Pleasantly surprised," was the first reaction Sharath gave to this daily from Doha. "I did not think it would be such a smooth ride. It seems I have managed to carry on from Oman last year and without any international match practice, it has surprised me. I have managed to improve on my speed, and the entire year spent on the fitness aspect has really paid off and I feel fresh," he added.
What is even more impressive is the fact that these results might lead to the Padma Shri entering the 20s bracket in terms of world rankings, a first in his long and illustrious career. Often what is left to be realised is the hard yards put in by numerous people behind the scenes. World No 32 credited his coach and brother Rajath Kamal, fitness coach Ramji Srinivasan, nutritionist Achsah and two mental trainers Dr Swaroop Savanur and Gayatri for their meticulous planning.
"I have lost weight, feel sharper than ever and I have even gained a bit of speed on the table. Even my opponents have remarked on this and how I have managed
to improve despite not venturing out of the country? The planning started in September and I'm glad that it has worked out in the end."
But the job is far from over. The Olympic qualifiers are up next and the Asian qualifiers from March 18 represent the best chance for the multiple Asian Games bronze medallist to qualify for his fourth Olympics. "Making the cut is in itself a very difficult task. If it happens this month, I can start my preparations in earnest once I return and hopefully, by July will be able to reach my peak."
The ITTF are planning a similar bubble in China in May or June in which a couple of tournaments will take place before the Olympics. But due to the hard quarantine of 14 days and apprehension, there is uncertainty as to how many will participate.
"The road ahead is quite rocky in terms of preparation and planning. All the players around the world are discussing the same things. Even during these two tournaments, all of us (players) were discussing how to get more match practise and how to plan ahead."