NEW DELHI: With no international competitions on the horizon, Tokyo-bound paddler G Sathiyan is focussed on the best possible preparation which includes training with a sparring partner daily and trying to get the same brand of table to his base in Chennai which will be used in the Olympics.
The San-Ei Absolute W advanced table will be used in the quadrennial showpiece and playing on that table will give a major boost to the Commonwealth and Asian Games medallist. He termed the difference in the table he is practicing on to the one he wants to get as equivalent to a “clay court and grass court”. “It will be a major advantage if I can get it. There are major differences in tables — from speed to spin and practicing on it will be a big help. I have put forward my proposal to the TOPs team and hopefully, it will be sanctioned soon,” the World No 37 said during a virtual interaction arranged by Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Friday.
Currently, the 28-year-old is training with Anirban Ghosh at the Raman TT High Performance centre and the goal now is to add variations to his game and improve his power in terms of physicality.“I’m working on different technical aspects and variations in my service, receive and improving my pace as well to try and surprise my opponents. I’m also working with Ramji (Srinivasan) to improve my power game because that is very important in the modern game.”
The Arjuna awardee also revealed that there are talks with the federation to try and hold a mini camp with the players who have already qualified for the Olympics sometime in June but that depends on how the pandemic situation in the country. His earlier plans also included bringing in sparring partners from abroad but due to the second Covid-19 wave, it seems highly unlikely that the plan will come to fruition. But Sathiyan is not letting these setbacks affect preparations.