WTT Star Contender: Massimo Costantini hopes to continue till LA 2028 with contract up for talks soon
Massimo Costantini, the national head coach of the Indian table tennis team, is quiet yet firm in his methods and has the results to show for his coaching style and technique.
The Italian has been one of the most successful coaches in Indian table tennis, guiding the country to several medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. In fact, India did exceptionally well in the 2018 CWG and Asian Games, winning eight medals at the CWG and two at the Asian Games.
In his third stint, which began ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, ‘Max’, as he is fondly called, who will turn 68 next month, hinted that he would love to continue till the Los Angeles Olympics 2028., his contract being up for renewal this May.
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“Normally, we work in a four-year cycle. So, starting 2024, it would make sense to complete the cycle in 2028. I would like to build a better set of coaches and players with a stronger mentality and create a better team environment. I think my legacy was there in 2018. I want to leave an even better legacy than 2018. That’s my dream,” he told Sportstar sidelines of the WTT Star Contender at the SDAT High-Performance Centre inside the TNPESU campus on Tuesday.
It would be tough for both Indian men and women to do well here, felt Max, but he insisted it would be tougher for the women. “More challenging for the girls definitely than the boys. The Japanese are very good and next only to the Chinese,” he said.
The coach said it felt great to see Manav Thakkar finally showing his potential at the international level. “I see that finally, after so many discussions and so many analyses of his game, he has found his game and developed his speed and timing, which are crucial.”
The Italian said he is working with the Sports Authority of India to set up a permanent training camp for Indian players and expressed hope that it will happen soon. “I’m confident that it will happen soon. We don’t have the official confirmation, but I’m confident,” he said.
The year 2026 is important, with the World Team Championships (in London from April 28 to May 10) followed by the Asian Games in September. Max said the team for the Worlds will be decided after the Senior National Championships (to be held in Indore from March 14).
“My advice is to wait until March 21. We have time till April 8 for team replacement. It makes sense to wait for the Nationals and see who is performing.”
The coach admitted the team dropped a few positions after the 2025 Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar, where the men’s team finished sixth and the women’s eighth.
“We dropped some positions at the Asian Championships. We played with two-fifths of the team missing. All the other teams played with their top players. There is no excuse. The World Championship is important,” he observed.
Published on Feb 10, 2026