Injury hampers Aditya Mehta's 'pro' ticket odds

Aditya Mehta left home when he was 15 years old to pursue snooker after a chat with his father, a former cueist himself. He asked Aditya if he was serious about the game because there are not many Indians who can be seen around the green table.

The conversation ended on a note that he will head to The Netherlands for better training. Three years later, Mehta earned the pro card in United Kingdom and has kept it ever since.

Injuries are a part and parcel of every sport. Although snooker is not a high impact sport, Mehta suffered a neck injury in 2014. The 32-year-old cueist feels that he has not been the same player since then. The injury took him off the table for a brief period of time. “My posture, my cue stance, and most importantly, my confidence has been affected,” he explains.

“It came at a very wrong time for me. I was in fine touch but after that, I have not been the same player,” he says.

The injury has also hurt Mehta’s chances of getting the pro ticket for the 2018/19 season as he has not performed flawlessly.

He will take part in the Welsh Open next week, which will be followed by the Gibraltar Open in March. To get the ticket, Mehta needs to reach the semi-finals of these competitions.

If he does not do that, he has another chance in the World Championships. Mehta needs to reach the main tournament and that is something that no Indian has ever been able to do. “That will be my last chance,” he says.

Not setting any high goals, Mehta eyes a return to the world top 50. “I know that setting unrealistic goals will do me no good. Not many Indians have achieved a great feat in cue sports. I want to change that but I need time to return to my best for it,” he adds.

Mumbai in itself has a great number of gymkhanas and clubs. But ironically, there are not many tournaments. After a long while, the Cricket Club of India (CCI) hosted the All India Snooker Open championship, opening up its gates for local and national talent.

Mehta who spent his initial years in Mumbai, calls it “ill-fate” for players. “There are so many clubs and players. The unfortunate thing is that sport in Mumbai is becoming commercial and at the same time, people don’t have money to host such tournaments,” he asserts.

After losing in the semi-finals to Sourav Kothari in the CCI Open, Mehta will play the PSPB Billiards and Snooker Tournament in Pune before leaving for Wales later this week to begin his quest to retain the pro ticket.