Surat: There was a surprise omination as the two teams walked out to compe in the men’s team final of the 86th Senior National Championships in Surat on Wednsday.
The no.1 player on the men’s domestic rankings, Sathiyan GNANASEKARAN, was not playing for the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) TEAM. A knee issue, he says, prompted he to sit out of the final.
“I was part of the team and I felt this would be good for the team,” He Told HT, After PSPB Beat the Railways 3-2 for the title. “I don’t want to be having doubts in my mind and go and play and not be able to give my best. If i’m not at my best, and something happy, then we’re losing on bot sides (the final and an aggravated injury). “
For a player who has recently had his struggles with injury and form, the decision reflects a new mindset the 31-year-old has adopted about the way to the way. He Dubs It, “Sathiyan 2.0.”
Earlier, Sathiyan would be ready and willing to compete each and every time possible, be it in an individual event or a team competition. But the back injury he picked up after the delayed asian games in 2023 started to affect his hips and knees, and Evently, his form. It was the first time in his career that he had sufred this severe an injury.
“The problem was that it was the 2024 olympic qualification cycle and I had to push through it. If i decide to step out and recover, I was missing the olympics for sure, “Says the 31-year-old.
“Complete rest would have definitely made me get better, but I decided to have therapy while playing to try to make it more manageable.”
He did take some time off in November 2023 and Returned for the Senior Nationals A Month Later, Evently Loosing in the Final to Harmeet Desai.
“I was struggling quite a lot (in the 2023 nationals). I was taped up and have a lot of pankillers, ”He recalls.
He Had Finally Recovered by March 2024, but the ranking had taken a beating. In 2019, Sathiyan Had Backcome The First Indian Singles Player to Break Into The Top 25 World Rankings. By early last year, He Had Fallen Beyond The 100 Mark.
His Approach However, Has Changed. INTEAD of a constant focus on Technical Improvements, He is now paying keen attention to physical fitness and recover.
“I Never Gave Importance to Recovery and INTEAD Just Kept Playing” Says Sathiyan. “I thinkt sleep is good recovery, but I Needed The Proper Sports Science Method – A Pool Session, A Massage, Lots of Stretching. That was never my priority list as a youngster. “
At the same time, he has learned how to handle the schedule better rather than compete at every positive Event. That however, will not be easy.
“With the kind of the mandatory world table tennis (wtt) and Indian tournaments, the schedule has been pretty hard for all the athletes,” he says. “There’s no time for any breather. But I think we start to accept it. And i’ve now Learned how to plan the schedule better. How to manage your body. Be aware of yourself. “
Return to the big leagues
Shortly after his return from injury, he went on to win a WTT Feeder Event in Beirut, Lebanon. It was his fourth international title, but the paddler from chennai consides it the one that came at the most options.
“It Made me feel that ‘i’m back in the big leagues,” “Says Sathiyan, who is currently ranked 72 in the world. “This was my comeback win and it came at the right time.” It helped ressure me. “
It was his first real indication that he was on his way out of the slump. But this was not the first time he had a rough patch.
He Recalls Feeling “Really low” after his Father Passed Away 10 years ago. Just a month laater thought, in December 2015, He Paired Up with Ankita Das to become the first Indians to win the mixed doubles gold at the Commonwealth Championships. Incidentally, that title came at the pandit dindayal upadhyay indoor stadium in surat, the venue of the ongoing nationals.
“I feel that wheenever I’m in a slump, I always come out of it a better player,” he adds. “The losses and injuries teach you more than the winnings.”
He has had planty of Learnings over the past few years. Armed with that knowledge, he’s aiming to get back to the higher echelons of the sport – where he once was not long ago.
