Delhi’s Manika Batra and Chennai’s G Sathiyan on breaking into the ITTF World Top 10 rankings: We motivate each other

Soon after breaking into the Top 10 of the International Table Tennis Federation’s (

ITTF

) world rankings at No 7, Delhi’s Manika Batra and Chennai’s Gnanasekaran Sathiyan went on to grab the silver at the recently concluded WTT Contender

Doha

. It’s the pair’s third medal since the start of their second stint as mixed doubles partners. High off their recent successes, they talk to us about how they support each other on the table, how rankings can impact a player’s game and what lies ahead.

‘A SINGLE DIGIT RANKING AFTER JUST 8 MONTHS OF PLAYING TOGETHER IS AMAZING'“It’s been a great run, winning back-to-back medals,” Sathiyan tells us, as he ticks off their recent wins – “Our second stint as mixed doubles partners began post the

Olympics

. Since then, we’ve won gold at the WTT Contender in Budapest, followed by the bronze at the WTT Contender Tunis and now, silver at the WTT Contender Doha. We also played really well in the World Championships and Grand Smash. In Doha, it was even more special because we beat the World No 4 pair from Hong Kong, who are seasoned, two-time World Championship medalists, and have been playing together for a very long time. The semifinal win was a big one.”

While admitting that breaking into the Top 10 was always the plan, Sathiyan says, “But we have exceeded our expectations. We started playing together in August last year. In just eight months, we already got a single-digit ranking. That’s an amazing sign of how we’ve progressed.”

Manika – who has also achieved the No 4 spot in the latest ITTF women’s doubles world rankings, along with partner Archana Kamath – says, “My aim is to focus on my game, not the rankings. Of course, I get happy when my rankings improve, but if I focus only on that and what people are saying then I cannot perform well. At the same time, expectations badti hain toh achcha lagta hai, ki log bhi TT dekh rahe hain and expect kar rahe hain humse. On the table, the pressure is there, but if you’re focused on your game, you feel it leave your mind.”

‘OUR UNDERSTANDING ON THE COURT HAS BEEN AMAZING’The secret to their successful pairing, says Manika, is that “we support each other”. “We complement each other on the table. In between the matches, we keep motivating each other, which is important for a doubles pair.”
Sathiyan adds, “The understanding between me and Manika on the court has been amazing. We’ve been sharing a lot of ideas and both of us have phenomenal speed on the court. That’s an advantage. Being very deft on the court helps us do a lot of variations. Her forehand topspin, my counter-attack, the placements we do and the speed on the table are strong points on the court that have surprised the opponents. We have also been good at targeting the weak zones of the opponent.”

‘WE HAVE A GREAT CHANCE OF WINNING GOLD AT

COMMONWEALTH

’A bigger goal lies ahead for the duo – the 2024 Paris Olympics. Says Sathiyan, “Our big goal is to break into the Top 4 before the Olympics, so we get a good draw and have a great chance of winning medals. We are also working with other strong pairs, competing against them, building strategies and improving our game.”
The other two big events lined up for them this year are the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games – both crucial, though Sathiyan is more than optimistic about their odds. “Last time, at the Commonwealth Games, during our first stint as a mixed doubles pair, we won a bronze medal without much practice. This time, we would like to go a step further. I think we have a great chance to win the gold at the Commonwealth Games. There are some good pairs from Singapore and England, so it is going to be hard. On the other hand, the Asian Games will be like a mini Olympics, because the top 7 pairs, apart from one French pair, are all Asian. As far as table tennis is concerned, winning a medal in the Asian Games is as good as winning a medal in the Olympics,” he explains.
MEDITATION TO FOOTWORK: THE TRAINING THAT LIES AHEADTalking about the road map ahead in terms of training, Sathiyan says, “One area we’ll be working on is footwork coordination. In fact, when she had come down to Chennai, we worked on that, it really helped. Footwork coordination is very critical when you play as a pair. Serve and receive are other things we are working on. If we can ace these, it will certainly make a big difference in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Paris Olympics.”

For Manika, there’s a lot of mental preparation involved too. She says, “Whenever I finish my tournament, I write about things I should be focusing on in my diary. I also focus on my mental training and meditate. For the Commonwealth games, last time, I won, (she clinched a gold medal in the women’s singles table tennis final at the Commonwealth Games in 2018), so that stays on your mind and can add to the pressure. But I will go there as a new kid and I will give my best to win a medal over there.”

‘I JOURNALLED & COOKED A LITTLE BIT DURING LOCKDOWN'
For Manika, the lockdown was a time to focus on workouts and the next Olympics. “I did a bit of cooking and meditated to stay mentally strong,” she adds. “I knew that when the lockdown ended, we would have tournaments, so I prepared for those. I felt stronger than before, and was thinking about the 2024 Olympics. I started writing more about my aim, and how my training should be and how I should achieve it.”

‘THE LOCKDOWN MADE ME A BETTER PLAYER'Sathiyan believes the lockdown helped him build himself as a better player in several ways. “Yoga and meditation, which I started practising just before the pandemic, has become routine for me now. It has made me a lot calmer and focused. Also, we would always be in competition mode earlier. Without many of those, I could reflect upon my own game. I have learnt to give importance to taking care of my body, and to not overdo things to a point where I put my health at risk.”