CHENNAI: All good things eventually come to an end. Table tennis ace A Sharath Kamal's decorated journey is set to end soon as the 42-year-old announced his retirement from the sport on Wednesday. Sharath said that the upcoming WTT Contender in Chennai, which is scheduled to be held from March 25 to 30, will be his last tournament.
Arguably, India's finest table tennis player, the Chennai-based player has been an inspiration for many. Over the years, the five-time Olympian has been a great ambassador of the game and is still the highest-ranked player in the country. As per the latest World Table Tennis (WTT) ranking list, Sharath — who is ranked 42 — is 18 places above Manav Thakkar (60), who is the second-highest ranked Indian player.
During the WTT Contender launch event in the city, Sharath seemed to be at peace while announcing his big decision. "I played my first international tournament in Chennai, I will be playing my last international also in Chennai. This (WTT Contender) will be my last tournament as a professional athlete," he said.
Sharath learned the ropes of the game from his father, A Srinivasa Rao, and his uncle, Muralidhara Rao, and went on to conquer one peak after another in his illustrious career. He has as many as six gold medals to his name in the Commonwealth Games (13 medals overall in 5 editions) and has also produced medals at the Asian Games. The Paris Olympics in 2024 was his fifth and final Games. One thing that is missing in his rich trophy cabinet is an Olympic medal and he has aspirations to live that dream through upcoming talents in the country.
''I have Commonwealth Games medals and Asian Games medals. An Olympic medal is something I don't have in my cupboard. I hope I can live that dream through the younger talent coming," he said.
The 10-time national singles champion has evoked positive emotions from fans on numerous occasions over the last two decade or so with his trickery with the paddle. When asked about the defining moments in his career, he was understandably struggling for definite answers.
"It's tough to define one fine moment in my career. That's also because it's been a very long career. So, 2006, when I won the Commonwealth Games gold medal for the first time. An Indian winning in table tennis, a gold medal, that was a very special moment at that point in time. But then, 2022, coming back after 16 years, winning three gold medals and one silver, was even better than that," he remarked.
"It's very tough to say which one is the best. But, personally for me, I had two really good outings. One was at the Olympic Games when I played Ma Long, the Olympic champion. That was one of the finest matches that I got to play. For me, the biggest thing that changed the face of Indian table tennis, I would say, is the Asian Games medals in 2018. For the first time in 60 years, Indian table tennis got a medal at the Asian Games. Especially beating the world champions, Japan, in the quarterfinals. And then me, pairing up with Manika Batra and getting another bronze medal," added the Khel Ratna Award winner.
He might be stepping away from playing at the elite level but his association with the sport will continue. He now has ambitions to help develop the sport. "I think I've been playing for a long time. And I've been, let's say, guiding the younger players also in the process as a player. And now I feel, stepping away as a player gives me more time to help and develop the sport. Putting in a structure and system into place. And with the help of the state government and the central government, trying to get table tennis into the world map, trying to win an Olympic medal. So that is what all of us sitting here are looking at. And I feel I can do that more, when I step away as a player. And that is the reason why I'm stepping away," he revealed.
Tough decisions & support system
Retirement might have been a tough decision but that's something Sharath has been dealing with for a long time. He recalled the tough decision he had to make before his career took off. "In my 10th standard, when I had to decide if I wanted to go to academics or sports, which way, science or sports. So, that decision was left to me. My parents didn't decide that for me. Of course, my father wanted me to play the sport. My mother wanted me to go in the academic direction. But I chose, I wanted to go to play sport," said Sharath, recalling the dilemma he faced in his younger days.
"But at the same time, academics was not a compromise. So, I made sure that I did my graduation. Thanks to my school and my college for supporting me through that process. And I think at that moment, of course, it was a tough time. Five years nearly before I could win the first national title. So, those times were testing. But I'm really happy that I could pass through those years. And thanks to my coaches and my family, the people around that I believed,'' he added.
It is no surprise that Sharath has worked with several coaches at different levels. He's thankful to each and everyone and said that trust between the player and a coach is vital for success. "Well, I think every coach I worked with has always contributed to my success. Of course, my father and uncle have been with me for a very long time. And recently, my younger brother also helped me. But apart from them, we've also had Indian coaches. I've also had some foreign coaches. I've been working with them when I was in Europe. But I think most importantly, it's about the trust that you build with the coach. The player and the coach. It's built on a trust where you know that the coach is telling you the right thing. And you follow them sometimes blindly. And sometimes, the coach has to adapt to the necessities or the requirements of the players. And it's a two-way direction. So, it's never one-way," he assessed.
PB Abhinandh and Preyesh Raj are some of the talents from Chennai. They'll be aspiring to follow Sharath's footsteps. Sharath felt the transition phase is critical for the youngsters. "Tamil Nadu have always had very good talents. There's never been a time when we felt like Tamil Nadu is not doing well anymore. It's been consistent. The number of players playing in Tamil Nadu has been growing constantly. The talents are also being formed in the process," said Sharath.
"The most important thing is to give them a pathway, a clear structure where they will be able to graduate from playing in the U-17, U-19 levels. They should be seen so that they have the same level of hunger and performance even in the senior categories. It's not just the boys, but also the girls. We have to make sure that they're transitioning from the junior level to senior in a smoother and a faster way,'' he noted.