One of his strongest ability in the game is to smash the ball while it’s spinning, a n ability which leaves his opponent baffled completely. Probably Sharath Kamal was not aware of that in 2012 when Anthony Amalraj dethroned the legend in the Table Tennis senior nationals. That was six years ago and the irregularity of major tournaments, has allowed other players to rise even after he ended Kamal’s dominance at the national level. Amalraj is now part of the state’s franchise, the Maharashtra United, which is a team in the Ultimate Table Tennis League.
The year 2017 was not like previous years. Amalraj finished the season as the top player in India with 430 overall points. Manav Thakkar, who is at number two, has 345. The new Maharashtra United signing brought some major changes to his game to reach this feat. “Day in and day out I was practicing with Sandeep (Gupta) sir. I made changes to my approach towards the game. There were so many semi-finals earlier, where I let the game slip away. That’s not the case now,” said Amalraj, who came back from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a Gold Medal around his neck.
He is also realistic about his chances at the age of 32. His speed has not slowed down just yet and the paddler’s knack to smash against spin makes him stand out from the rest. “I know that I cannot compare myself with Sathiyan (Gnanshekharan). He is a young lad. I have seven medals from the pro tours and this season I will push for more to get my rank in the top 50 in the world,” as he says.
Even with these medals, he could not help his rank. Amalraj dropped by 20 numbers in the world rankings to be at 103 currently. This fact makes him hit the court harder. The right hander feels that this season will be important for him in getting to his goal of participating in the Olympics in 2020. “I need to win big games in the pro tours. I am working harder than I have ever before. I will play in the Spanish League this year to achieve that,” he says. “I have played in three Commonwealth games but playing in the Olympics is what is left in my career.”
A couple of years after his triumph against Kamal, he decided to experiment with the league in Poland and that backfired. Exits in early rounds and losses against weaker opponents were becoming regular. That was when he brought about a change in his psychological approach. “I have had too many ups and downs. I have only become stronger. I can achieve the few things left in my career and I will try to achieve them,” he says.
Even with so many ups and downs in his decorated career, it has been a senior, Sharath Kamal, who has inspired him. “He’s a great inspiration. He has been at the top for so many years and still he has managed to be the best. So many people give up at that age (35), but he chooses to play and inspire us,” says Amalraj, who was the recipient of Arjuna Award in 2017.
The second season of UTT will begin from June 14 and he will be starting the competition at home as Pune is the first venue for the league. As the league concludes, he will move to the pro tours and create a path for his Olympic dream.
- Amalraj gained limelight after beating Sharath Kamal in the 2012 national championships
- He then went on to win the silver in the Glasgow CWG team event
- He won gold in the singles and gold in the 2015 nationals
- Won gold in the team event at CWG 2018
