"I just want to forget this tournament" - Sanil Shetty reveals how his father's demise shook him post CWG 2022

Indian table tennis player Sanil Shetty opened up on the distress caused by his father Shankar Shetty’s demise this year after the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Life became a tough row to hoe for the Shetty family when Sanil, the second son of Shankar and Bharathi Shetty, was born as a premature baby with a hole in his heart and the doctor suggested that the newborn won’t survive for more than a year. Sanil had major concerns with breathing and was not able to crawl from one place to another as a toddler.

Even after being struck with adversity, the parents were resilient enough to overcome all odds. Homoeopathy came to their rescue and Sanil gradually started showing slight improvements. While the young child was not allowed to play outside due to his breathing issues, his parents ensured he didn’t lack in activity so they enrolled him in sketching and dancing.

Following in the footsteps of elder brother Sachin Shetty, the interest in Table Tennis was sown into a young Sanil. But convincing their parents wasn’t simple until the elder brother took responsibility. Once prodigious, Sanil showed a glimpse of becoming a promising star after impressing childhood coach Deepak Mani, but financial constraints were a worry for the middle-class family back then to buy the expensive equipment.

Shankar, who played professional table tennis in his youth before turning into a banker, would ensure money wasn’t a deterrent in his son’s career. To the player’s own admission: “Dad used to struggle a lot but he would never tell me about that.”

Sanil lived up to his father’s dreams by climbing every step of his career with vigor be it from his youth academy days to the march to the international arena where he represented the country in many global events and won enough medals to justify his father’s struggles.

Sanil has won three medals at Commonwealth Games events, including two gold medals in the men’s team event in 2018 (Gold Coast) and 2022 (Birmingham). He also participated in the men’s singles and mixed doubles event at CWG 2022.

Sanil could shortly celebrate the success of defending the gold medal with the men’s team as he lost his father and father-in-law Susairaj Tennison in the space of just four days upon arriving back to India from Birmingham.

While speaking to Sportskeeda on how his father’s sudden death shook him, a poignant Sanil said:

“After I came back from the Commonwealth Games, my dad passed away on 12th (August) and Reet’s dad passed away on 16th (August). So we were in a lot of stress at that time and after that, we had National games.”

---

"This was the moment I was broken" - Sanil Shetty

India's No.2 ranked player was not mentally present while playing in the 36th National Games in Surat in September. Even though he won his first against Divyansh Srivastav, there was something that held the 33-year-old paddler back, and had a moment of emotional breakdown in the middle of the game.

He narrated the incident as:

“So this was the moment I was broken. I participated but I was not there, you can say I was zero or minus then. I was just there, no practice, nothing at the table. I lost to Snehit at the pre-quarters 3-4, 11-9. He played good and I wish I was close then.”

"The previous day I was playing with a player (Divyansh Srivastav), I was winning. I was still crying. Aman (Balgu) was like what happened? I said I don’t feel like playing, I am not enjoying it. That was the moment I don’t know when I cried the last time in the Table Tennis hall.”

The Indian TT player, a regular visitor to Hungary to play their club matches, has restored his peace of mind and is ready to start a new chapter from next year onwards. The preparations for major events like the Asian Games and a place in the Olympic squad are on the cards.

“I just wanted to forget this tournament and after that, I went to Hungary and restarted everything fresh. Now I am much better and everything is good. Very Positive.”

The 33-year-old is currently based in Hyderabad training under his coach Aman Balgu at the AVSC TT Academy in Hyderabad’s Kondapur region.