Indian table tennis coach Massimo Costantini: ‘Need to sustain the winning mentality at business end of tournaments’

An interaction with Massimo Costantini, the Italian coach who has returned to lead the national table tennis team for the third time (2009–10, 2016–18, and 2024–present), brings to mind the ancient Japanese proverb: “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”

At 66, he has a remarkable ability to make anyone feel at home with his warm and generous hospitality. When he speaks, it’s from the heart, and his eyes sparkle with genuine emotion as he expresses his belief that India has the potential to break into the top four in global table tennis.

In an interview with  Sportstar, Costantini discusses a variety of topics, including the approach to developing the next generation of talent, the preparations for Los Angeles 2028, and 10-time national champion Achanta Sharath Kamal’s farewell Olympics.

Excerpts

What has returning to India been like thus far?

It’s been good so far. I joined in May, but even before that, I was keeping an eye on the players’ performances globally. I was already prepared with a plan for how to work with them.

At the [Paris] Olympics, we saw a good performance, especially in the team event. The men were not very lucky with the draw. But they played very well (against China).

It was the first time India competed in the team event. The women did well to beat Romania, one of the top countries, in the pre-quarterfinals. These good results make me very optimistic about a bright future for Indian table tennis.

Is it time to lounge for a while before proceeding, or does the grind for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 start now?

The Olympic cycle is a slow process. We have time in the next two years to create a better and stronger internal system. We will be stressing a little bit more on their international performances. In the meantime, we can achieve a better winning mentality. And that mentality can only be achieved by winning more games.

We have to start thinking that we can do it even at the business end of tournaments. It is the direct experience that makes the player confident. One shouldn’t think that ‘my medal is in my range’. One should only think about winning every contest.

We now have two players in the top-25 (Sreeja Akula and Manika Batra). I hope it is consistent. If we can make the top-15 and top-10 in men’s and women’s events, we can start thinking a little bit bigger. We need time to achieve certain statuses to consolidate our values and individual positions.

We also need to be consistent in the team events at the Olympics. This time we made it to the top-16, the very last position. If India aims to be in the top four, we can prepare the team better. We had a short time before the Paris Olympics. We came to know only in March. We didn’t have time to prepare for the doubles.

For LA, we aim to have a team that we can thoroughly prepare. In the past, our players have struggled to qualify for the Olympics through continental and world rankings. But once we secure a team spot in the Olympics, we automatically get two players in singles, which will transform our preparations, improve our setup, and elevate our expectations as well.

READ |India in Table Tennis, Paris 2024 Olympics Review

With LA 2028 as the focus, do you think the time has come for a centralised training system like they have in Germany and South Korea?

There is a plan to have one in place. To regularly gather all the coaches, players and talented players from youth, sub-junior, and junior levels from across the country in one place.

Finding a place to train every time causes a little bit of inconvenience. It is better if we don’t have to think about where we need to go for training. You would know where to go to get access to staff and coaches. These are things we should have by default so that we can calmly work with the players.

You are here on a two-year contract, which can be extended to two more. What are your plans for the other major multi-discipline events, like the Asian and Commonwealth Games (CWG)?

My goal is to create the conditions that will help us become a leading country in the sport within a few years. India deserves to be in the top four because of its population, system, government, different institutions, players, coaches, the TTFI (Table Tennis Federation of India), and lots of academies.

It is a great microcosm we have to exploit. We need to develop coaches and a better system. I want to make every player and coach think that we can be right up there.

Sharath Kamal has contributed immensely to the sport. He was also the joint-flagbearer for the Indian contingent alongside P. V. Sindhu at the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024. How did he handle the burden of the expectations of 1.4 billion people?

Being a flagbearer is a humbling honour for Sharath. Paddler Ma Long was the joint-flagbearer for China. Every Olympic Games, we have had a couple of table tennis players be flagbearers; it’s good for TT.

There are big expectations from every player. I’ve played in the Olympics. I coached Italy before. Expectations are there. You have to face the reality. Other players too face the same. Sometimes, you make the mistake of thinking that the outcome is only in your hands. Our performance is always dependent on the opponent, and we have to accept that. We have to accept when we do well and accept when others also do well.

I kept my expectations low. I don’t want to expect a lot and get super disappointed, thinking I didn’t achieve anything. Every player must have low expectations and see how they must gain every point. That’s what happened with the women when we played against Romania. We succeeded at first. When we started to play against Germany, one would have expected us to make the semifinals or even get the medal. But Germany is better than us. That’s the bottom line.

Sharath said Paris was his last Olympics. Do you think it was the right moment to call it a day?

Sharath is a monument and an institution for Indian TT. He will always be supporting the fraternity. His wisdom and experience are our legacy. Whoever is taking his place can only learn to treasure his results, personality, and whatever he did in his career.

I thank him for whatever he has done. I had even worked with him at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, when he won the gold medal in doubles with Subhajit Saha. The cycles work like that. Sometimes, when careers end, we have to accept them. I’ve learnt a lot from him.

A new chapter is coming. I wish him good luck. I hope he will continue to help the Indian team in some way.

Since you were talking about expectations earlier, India taking part in the Olympics itself was a huge thing, and now it is even getting closer to a medal. What is stopping India from reaching the pinnacle?

Let me take an example from another sport. About the Italian women’s volleyball team, people kept saying how an Olympic medal was missing from the cabinet. Sometimes, we don’t need to think about what is missing, but thought must be given to what opportunities we need to create to make it happen. We just need to prepare. We need to create the conditions. And now, finally, the women have won gold in volleyball. It was a long, long process. When the time is right, we will win medals.

How do you see the next generation of players, and how does UTT help in grooming young talent?

We must nurture the up-and-coming talent and ensure they have access to opportunities like the UTT. It’s crucial to get them on the TTFI or TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) radar. By planting the right seeds now, we can expect a strong future harvest. Everything about the UTT is helping Indian table tennis. The atmosphere, the level of players, and the teams. Add to that the level of coaches and international players. They all play under a certain kind of pressure, which is certainly helpful. I see the players changing. I see them getting to the table with a different attitude and determination.

And whatever helps Indian players achieve better and stronger grit is always welcome.

You are managing the country’s best bunch. There’s bound to be a difference of opinion. How do you work on conflict resolution?

There is no conflict, only dialogue. We come up with ideas. I have mine, and they have theirs. Then we discuss. We can put on the table what is best for the players. I am not trying to convince them of what I wish. I am trying to follow their skills, nature and attitude.

That’s what the coach should do. The coach should not think that players should listen to him alone. I should not tell them to use the forehand from the backhand, like the Chinese and Japanese. A kid who is good at mathematics — I can’t ask him to study history.

A plethora of ideas must come through during the national camps, when the personal coaches also get involved. How do you bring everyone under the same umbrella?

It is a big family working together. We have one common goal, which is the performance of the athletes. We know what the players need and what we try to provide.

The work we put in in the past few months has been absolutely positive. We work in good cooperation; I have given my contributions, and they have given theirs. It was fine. I haven’t seen any disturbance at the national camps, and the players were absolutely comfortable.

You are considered a lucky mascot. All the players adore you. What is it about you and this Indian team?

(Laughs) I don’t know. I trust the players, and maybe that’s why they feel like that. I never had the feeling that ‘this player cannot make it’ or ‘this one is difficult’. One of the first things I tell my players is, ‘I trust you’. They feel the support. They need someone to back their talent.

Sometimes we get stuck, thinking maybe some player is attacking on my forehand or someone else’s serve is good. Well, what about your skills? Why do we place so much importance on what our opponents are doing well? We are here to just change the perspective.

Then, to what extent does one need to analyse the opponent before a tie?

Every player has some sort of fixed pattern. It is important for coaches to identify these skills quickly. Ultimately, it is the player who controls the rally when they serve and receive. It is a flow, and there is not much time for players to think and do what the coach says. My job is to give them a little bit of warning as to what the opposition may do in certain match situations, as players tend to play in recurring patterns.

You have trained so many teams since 1995, like the UAE and the USA. What has been your core guiding philosophy?

My core philosophy has changed over the years. Earlier, I used to think I was the key person. Now, I say that the player is the key person. Many coaches have this attitude of being the ones who make things happen. Yes, it is true.

But again, players are the performers. I try to develop myself to identify more potential in the players. I don’t talk too tactically, but I try to find in every player an additional way to win points. The rest comes with discussion and implementation. It is a process.

Finally, how do you see Archana Kamath’s retirement from the sport to take up academics?

She was always good at academics. The news hasn’t surprised me much. At 24 itself, she has had a lot of experience. During her time in the US, she can choose to continue playing. If she wants to join some training with the national team again, she is always welcome. I am sure it is not a goodbye. I hope to see her again.