I was playing according to the coach’s strategy. I am very happy with the way my mind played, but the body was tired. The opponent (Young Sik Jung of Korea) never let me run away with the game. He was not able to handle my power. I beat two higher ranked opponents on the same day.
- Sharath Kamal Achanta, India’s top ranked men’s Table Tennis player, after winning his quarter-final match against Young Sik Jung of Korea
While individual players have to think about their own game, we as coaches have to be in the minds of both our players as well as their opponents. You need to be mentally strong to win big points. Every player reacts differently to strategies. But I want every player to give his best, irrespective of the result. We have great support from fans in this tournament, and every tournament is a great opportunity for our players to improve. That we are playing on home soil is a motivation in itself.
- Massimo Costantini, Indian table tennis coach
We are following the plans made by our coaches, head coach Bhawani Mukherjee and Massimo Costantini, and giving our 200 per cent effort. In my case, I have to be focused on my physical fitness. We have improved a lot technically on the table over the years but in the women’s game we are not psychologically there yet. But we can improve a lot. With meditation and positive thinking we will be ready for the Games. We won seven medals in the Commonwealth Championship last time and two in the Melbourne Games. Given the Commonwealth Games is going to be held in India there is a lot of expectation not only from our fans but from ourselves as well. We will do everything to win.
Poulomi Ghatak, Indian women’s Table Tennis player
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