For most of the 21st century, Sharath Kamal Achanta has been the face of Indian table tennis. He is the all-time men's singles champion for the country of over a billion people, with a record nine titles. Achanta, 37, has been a top-100 player in the world since March 2007. He achieved his career-best world ranking of #30 in January of 2019. Imagine how he felt, then, to see his junior teammate Sathiyan Gnanasekaran rise to become the highest ranked player in India's history. Gnanasekaran, ten years his junior, achieved a historic feat in July of the same year, becoming India's highest-ranked player of all time at world #24. He has since slid back to #32, while Achanta has spent the last year hovering around #40. While some would have seen this as a cue to step aside for the next generation, Achanta simply went back to work. His rating took a leap after winning the 2020 ITTF Oman Open on March 15. He has now reclaimed the top spot for Indian men at world #31, one spot ahead of is junior rival. "Some positive news, amidst all the negativity currently," says Achanta. "Feels great, actually. Just the news I needed while I find myself away from the game during this lockdown." Achanta credits his time playing in German leagues for honing his world-class skill set. "The coaches are very professional. They treat everyone as equals," says Achanta of his Teutonic tenure. "They didn’t see me as one who is training here to beat them. In Europe, if they hire a player, they ensure he improves as much as their countrymen do." Achanta sees much to admire about the European league system. "There is constant match practice, you get to play with different players with different styles," he says. "The infrastructure and ecosystem are top-class. And their calendar is out much in advance." India aims to emulate the European infrastructure with its nascent Ultimate Table Tennis league. Achanta is a star player for the UTT's Chennai Lions. Of course, whom should he find leading the rival Dabang Delhi T.T.C. but his old pal Sathiyan Gnanasekaran.

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