(Sports News) Sathiyan, a prominent figure in the world of table tennis, typically aims to showcase his skills and capitalize on home advantage in India’s WTT Star Contender. His goal since 2019 has been to secure a position in the top 50 globally, with breaking into the top 20 being his ultimate aspiration.

However, at the WTT Star Contender Goa held at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, an unexpected twist awaited him on Wednesday. Despite being accustomed to the main draw of singles events, his lower ranking forced him into the qualifiers, having missed a wildcard. Despite winning his initial qualifying round, Sathiyan faced an unexpected defeat at the hands of World No.194 Vincent Picard in a closely contested match.

Surprisingly, rather than dwelling on the setback, Sathiyan swiftly shrugged off the disappointment. Heading to the practice arena, he approached his mixed doubles partner, Manika Batra, India’s top-ranked women’s paddler, inquiring about their training schedule. Sathiyan expressed a shift in focus towards mixed doubles, especially with the Olympics on the horizon. Despite a decline in his singles ranking to World No. 94, he emphasized the unique opportunity that mixed doubles presents at the Olympics, where he and Manika, ranked No.11 globally, are on track to qualify for the Paris Games.

Sathiyan admitted the challenges in singles and acknowledged the difficulty in securing a medal in that category. He pointed out his physical limitations compared to top athletes, leading him to concentrate on mixed doubles, where he believes they have a legitimate chance of winning a medal.

Despite grappling with knee and lower back injuries, Sathiyan faces a dilemma due to the densely packed World Table Tennis (WTT) calendar. Resting could jeopardize his chances of qualifying, prompting him to opt for mixed doubles at premier events rather than striving to improve his singles ranking.

Sathiyan highlighted the scarcity of training time with Manika due to their individual commitments and the need for a more robust training schedule. The challenges of coordinating their training sessions, given their respective coaches and academies, underscored the importance of a national training center for the benefit of the entire team. Sathiyan and Manika manage short training camps during tournaments, emphasizing the necessity of enhanced coordination for effective doubles play.

While their unique playing style has yielded success, Sathiyan acknowledged the need for increased effort and collaboration to succeed in Paris. The key challenge remains finding suitable times and locations for joint training sessions.

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