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Sanil Shetty is one of the rising stars of Indian Table Tennis. He won the North Zone title recently and is the no. 2 ranked player in India.
You recently won a doubles title with Jakub Janos (of Hungary). How was the experience?
Yes, Jakub and I won the Fajr Cup. India emerged as the most successful country in the Fajr Cup tournament and I was happy to contribute to its success.
Are you planning to take doubles more seriously?
I take all events seriously, but in May we have the Commonwealth Championship. I am pairing up with Sharath Kamal and we have a good chance of winning the Gold Medal. We are working hard on it for now.
What is your training schedule like?
Everyday I practice for 6 hours and dedicate 1 hour to fitness. Sunday is a full day’s rest, so that my body recovers. I focus on my technique, speed and concentration a lot.
You recently lost in the semis at the Nationals. Where did you falter?
Yes, I lost in the semis because of a lot of unforced errors from my forehand and then I wasn’t able to get back in the game. However, I have learnt my lesson and I know I have the potential to win big tournaments, so I will continue to work hard and hopefully the results will follow.
How can TT be popularized in our country?
In the rest of the world, TT is famous because of the leagues, so I think TT can be popularized in India just by starting a league system. The league system has been pretty successful in other games, especially cricket and hockey. Even Badminton and Tennis are coming up with it. The league system will attract the masses and therefore more and more people will develop interest in the game.
Do you go abroad to train? If yes, then where?
Till date I have been training in India but this year I will be going to Sweden. I have few big tournaments coming up this year and therefore would like to prepare myself well for them.
