G Sathiyan Exclusive: Top 10 on mind, Sathiyan hopes for doubles boost – After a mixed start to the year, G Sathiyan ended with a bang as he clinched two historic Asian Championships medals and then went on to climb to a career-high World No 15 in mixed doubles along with Manika Batra. With mixed doubles now being part of the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist hopes the event will become a permanent part of all levels of the domestic calendar. Follow live updates on InsideSport.IN
After a memorable Senior Nationals display where he broke his jinx, G Sathiyan had a disappointing Tokyo Olympics by his own high standards. But he is focused on the coming year with two big-ticket events in the pipeline — the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
G Sathiyan Exclusive: Commonwealth gold medallist aims to enter top 10, hopes doubles can become permanent fixture in domestic calendar
In an exclusive interaction with InsideSport, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist spoke about the year gone by including his pride at improving rapidly in the doubles section, how different training in doubles is compared to singles and outlined some of his goals for 2022.
Q. Your feelings on this mixed doubles rankings boost
G Sathiyan: I’m extremely happy with the start we have had in mixed doubles. Me and Manika Batra did not get too much time prior to starting our mixed doubles journey but we hit it off instantly and results have followed swiftly. A mixed doubles title at the WTT Contender event in Budapest, then we played well in Tunisia as well. We were so close to a historic World Championship medal. Along the way, we have managed to beat formidable pairs and breaking the top-15 ceiling in such a short span of time gives us a lot of confidence going forward.
G Sathiyan Exclusive: Commonwealth gold medallist aims to enter top 10, hopes doubles can become permanent fixture in domestic calendar
Q. Doubles is not something that is given priority in India. How do you think this can change?
G Sathiyan: When compared to the past, things are improving gradually. Doubles as a separate event was recently introduced in nationals and zonals which is a good sign. Now that the event has been made a permanent fixture in the Olympics should motivate more and more people to take up this event. According to me, doubles should now be introduced in state-level tournaments. The culture needs to be formed and that can happen with grassroots involvement of all major parties. We can start with few entries and slowly start building up. Improving prize money is another incentive that can be tried.
💥New High WR #15💥
Historic feat as we become the first ever Indian 🇮🇳pair to break into the world top 15 in Mixed Doubles in the latest ITTF world ranking list😍💪
Onwards & upwards ⬆️@manikabatra_TT #sathiyantt #tabletennis #mixeddoubles #target #top10
Pc : @bigBdesign pic.twitter.com/DeWqkxaHsY
— Sathiyan Gnanasekaran OLY (@sathiyantt) November 30, 2021
G Sathiyan Exclusive: Commonwealth gold medallist aims to enter top 10, hopes doubles can become permanent fixture in domestic calendar
Q. Could you elaborate on how you and Manika Batra plan to train more often in the coming year considering both of you train in different bases?
G Sathiyan: Both of us along with my coach S Raman and Sanmay Paranjape (Manika’s coach) are in constant discussion. We are waiting for the final international calendar and then we can zero in on the dates. We plan to hold regular training sessions and alternate between Chennai and Pune. If we can find a five day window every month or so, nothing like it. We need to find the right sparring partners as well.
Q. What are some of the things that you and your coach S Raman are doing to improve further?
G Sathiyan: Analysing videos and trying to get as much data as possible is something that is really helping. Video analysis is the future and a lot can be learnt in terms of improvements required or general patterns of play. If we talk of doubles, I feel the major thing to look at is understanding your partner’s game. That will come with time I’m sure.
G Sathiyan Exclusive: Commonwealth gold medallist aims to enter top 10, hopes doubles can become permanent fixture in domestic calendar
Q. Please elaborate on some of the specifics being worked on by both you & Manika Batra?
G Sathiyan: Proper preparation has been a key reason for the success we have enjoyed so far. But we know this is just the start. We have good speed on the table which has worked to our advantage as we have managed to take opponents by surprise. We have worked on a lot of specific technical movements and also try to understand how we can push each other in specific situations.
Q. What are your future goals both in terms of singles and doubles?
G Sathiyan: I had a good break after the World Championship and got my batteries recharged. Now I have started preparations including working on my fitness and slowly starting to get back to the groove in terms of playing on the table.
G Sathiyan Exclusive: Commonwealth gold medallist aims to enter top 10, hopes doubles can become permanent fixture in domestic calendar
In terms of doubles, breaking into the Top 10 is now our sole focus. Our start has given us a lot of confidence and we did not expect such quick results. But now things will get tougher as our opponents are more aware of our strengths and weaknesses. We need to keep at it, steadily improve our standing with more and more tournaments and eventually build up a good base for 2024 Paris Olympics.
2022 is a crucial year and it will start off with Senior Nationals and I’m hoping that we will get international competitions from February. I plan to fulfill my League commitments in Poland sometime in February. The Commonwealth Games and Asian Games will be big and we need to continue in the same way we left off last time around.
G Sathiyan Exclusive: Commonwealth gold medallist aims to enter top 10, hopes doubles can become permanent fixture in domestic calendar
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