Massimo Costantini names WTT Star Contender favourites as Chennai gears up to witness some exciting table tennis
India head coach Massimo Costantini, who had just returned to India with the national table tennis team after a week-long training camp in Sweden, said he’s looking forward to some exciting rounds of table tennis, with the WTT Star Contender Chennai set to begin on Thursday.
The 66-year-old Italian picked Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata as the favourites in men’s and women’s singles, but insisted it would not be easy for them.
“The Japanese are the most probable winners here. I am not basing my judgement on this tournament but seeing their performances over the last year. Harimoto is the reigning Asian champion, and he has beaten lots of top Chinese players. Having said that, he may find hurdles on the way. In the women’s section, Japan’s Hina Hayata is the favourite. She is not unbeatable as Satsuki Odo (Japan) and Taipei’s Cheng-I-Ching can stop Hina,” he said.
According to Massimo, Indians can reach the round of 16 or the quarterfinals in singles in Chennai. “All the top eight to 10 ranked players in the field are really strong as they have the habit of winning, which the Indians still don’t have. We need to bridge the gap to get that kind of confidence. The WTT Star Contender is a good opportunity for Indians to beat higher-ranked players. If they have a favourable draw, Indians can enter the last 16 or quarterfinals,” said the 66-year-old on Sunday while training coaches for the Dream Sports Foundation U-15 Championships.
His next big challenge, Massimo said, is the World (individual) Championships to be held in Doha from May 17 to 25. “The slot for the fourth (singles) player in the World Championships is yet to be decided. I will take a call after seeing their performances in Chennai. The men’s doubles pair of Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar is world-ranked nine, and I hope it reaches the quarterfinals. I believe the mixed doubles pair of Manush and Diya Chitale, world-ranked 11, can do well in Worlds,” he said.
His third stint, said the head coach, has been different from the previous ones and in his current avatar, Massimo wants to put together a great team environment.
“There was a six-year gap between my second (2018) and third stint as coach. There are a lot of events coming up: the World Championships, the Asian Team Championships likely to be held in India from October 11 to 15 and the mixed team World Cup in Chengdu from November 30 to December 7. All these and other events will be an opportunity for us to put the team together and get the common feeling that together we are stronger than being separate. I want to recreate a strong and effective team,” he said.
“My memories with Sharath begin from 2009.” – Massimo Costantini
| Photo Credit:
K. Ananthan/The Hindu
“My memories with Sharath begin from 2009.” – Massimo Costantini
| Photo Credit:
K. Ananthan/The Hindu
Massimo heaped praise on the veteran paddler when asked about Sharath Kamal’s retirement after the WTT Star Contender Chennai event. He said, “I would be missing him. My memories with him begin from 2009. We had a great time in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a historic Asian Games in 2018 when we won two medals. Of course, when Sharath is around, he provides a comfort zone to everyone. He is more than a player, more than a team captain. He is the one player whom everyone wants to be around with. We need people like him.”