By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 13 : India's ace table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal believes that Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) tournament will help players get quality match practice ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.
He also hoped that he can finish his career with an Olympic medal in Paris.
The stage is set for the high-voltage table tennis action as the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4, begins on Thursday at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune. A total of 36 players, including 12 international players, will engage in action over a period of 18 days in the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4. Among them, 14 paddlers have played in the Olympics, while nine players have showcased their strengths in the Commonwealth Games.
With the Asian Games approaching, Sharath believes UTT will provide the crucial match preparation and quality build-up prior to the continental competition.
"Preparations have already started. The Federation has already started planning and executing stuff from April 2023. We will have a training camp in India. We have some international tournaments, domestic tournaments and then also UTT which will help us have a good amount of match practice and at the same time we can utilize a lot of time into our own training. So, I am quite sure with the plan the federation has done and the way everybody is…We will win some medals at the Asian Games also," Achanta Sharath Kamal told ANI.
After a long gap, the league is back, with the season's first match pitting Puneri Paltan against last year's champion Chennai Lions. Chennai Lions' challenge will be spearheaded by ace Indian paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal.
"Yes, of course, we are starting off from the first match. I think it will be a fantastic journey. I am pretty much sure that it will be an amazing journey ahead. Not just for myself but for the whole team of Chennai Lions in season 4," said the veteran Indian paddler.
Manika Batra will be playing for Bengaluru Smashers while Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will be representing Dabang Delhi. Sharath stated that a lot of youngsters will get a big break from the 'confidence' they got in the tournament while playing under the 'best players in the world.'
"It is a very exciting format which is a very short play which gives anybody an equal chance to beat a better player. So, every player has to be in the best place to win the matches. That gives the youngsters an opportunity to give a big fight to some of the best players in the world. So, I am quite sure that the talent squad in UTT like Sathiyan, Manika, Suthirtha, Manav Thakkar, Archana Kamat and a lot of youngsters got these big breaks from the confidence they got in UTT. In this season also you will find more and more names doing well," he added.
"Personally for me as well it's the men's team we are looking at. There will be 16 qualifiers at the Olympic Games and where we are at the moment...14-15th..if we can then as a team, we are just two wins away from medals round. I hope I can finish my career with that Olympic medal in Paris," said the star paddler.
The tournament will go on till July 30.
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