With coach Raman by his side, Sathiyan hopes to get back to his peak form

It’s been 13 years of coach-ward relationship in the demanding sport of table tennis. And the association has only strengthened over time.

The bond between S. Raman and G. Sathiyan has been rock solid over the years despite the ups and downs.

A journey that started in 2012 in YMCA Royapettah, Chennai — now Raman runs the Raman TT High Performance Centre — has reached a critical phase in Sathiyan’s career.

The two-time national champion and Arjuna awardee, who witnessed his world rankings rise to a career-high 25 in 2019, has now seen it plummet to 109 in May 2025.

However, there are no signs of worry on Sathiyan’s face. With his coach by his side, he is confident about his place in the world.

As he gets ready for his 10th World Championships (inclusive of teams and individuals) to be held in Doha from May 17 to 25, Sathiyan said he is working on certain techniques and insisted that with Raman’s ideas and tips, he will become stronger than before.

According to Sathiyan, Raman is not a usual coach who puts all the failures on his/her ward.

“Raman sir always took responsibility for both success and failure. He puts you in the front when you win. And takes responsibility when you have failures. And I think that is his greatest asset as a coach. He was always there to support you. I lost my father in 2015, and I did not make the cut for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Those were the lowest phases of my career and he was there with me,” said the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medallist.

Sathiyan observed that Raman is a coach who loves to experiment and one who conveys his ideas with clarity. “He always likes to change a lot of things, adapt, experiment. It’s more than a coach and student.”

From being a passive player to an attacking one with excellent retrieving skills, Sathiyan has definitely evolved as a world-class player under Raman.

However, the last few years haven’t been the best for Sathiyan. The slide began mid-2023 when he slipped to 83rd in the world ranking.

In the run-up to the Paris Olympics, Sathiyan struggled. Though he was part of the Olympic team, he was only the fourth member.

“I think injuries are the biggest challenge. I had a major back injury after the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. I had back-to-back knee injury. Then I trained with trainer Shankar Basu to come back. It was tough,” admitted Sathiyan.

In the domestic season after the Paris Olympics, Sathiyan focused more on National-ranking tournaments, keeping in mind the Table Tennis Federation of India’s stated objective of giving more importance to domestic events than International ones.

“I won two national-ranking tournaments (National ranking in Panchkula and the All-India inter-institutional in Chandigarh), and then made a comeback strongly by being part of the Indian team for the World Championships in Doha. We have started to work differently because the game has evolved. It has become faster with the best of five games. The key is to adapt faster,” said Sathiyan.

Sathiyan said all he needs is one good performance in a big tournament like Smash or a Star Contender for his world rankings to jump.

“With one or two tournaments in big WTT tournaments, one can really make 30-40 places jump in world rankings,” he said.

Raman said his ward is injury-free and is confident that he will produce results. “There has been a slump (in rankings) which we all know primarily because of his injury. But, when he took several tests at the Reliance Sports Science centre recently, the results turned out to be very positive. He doesn’t carry any injuries.”

Raman believes Sathiyan still has that fire raging in him to succeed. “Fundamentally, his health is in good shape. So, he’s got the fire and the will to put in that effort,” said Raman. He also predicted Sathiyan can reach the top 50 by the end of the year.

Sathiyan is eager to script a few upsets in the forthcoming World championships and do well in the Asian Games next year. Winning a medal at the Los Angeles Olympics has been his biggest goal.

“So, my goal is to train well and focus on big tournaments on the WTT Tour. Ranking points will be a byproduct when you play well. I have reached a career high of 25 in world rankings, and I know what it takes. This season, I will have to plan a calendar balancing both the domestic and international tournaments while looking to peak at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” said Sathiyan.