"One needs to keep working proactively" says Indian Table Tennis player Mudit Dani

Mudit Dani is a young Indian Table Tennis player. He has been in limelight from a couple of months because of his exceptional performances. The young prodigy won three medals including a gold in the El Salvador Junior Table Tennis Championships. Moreover, he also won the Badger Open in the U-23 category.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Dan talks about his different types of experiences in the Table Tennis circuit.

What prompted you to choose to play Table Tennis rather than any other sport? What inspired you to take it up so seriously/professionally?

Dani: My Nani (Maternal Grandmother) underwent heart surgery in the summer of 2006. To give her company, me and my cousins in with her. There I spent many summer days playing table tennis, and that was my first introduction to the game. One day my grand mom’s friend came to visit her. He saw us play and even told me that I played quite well. But I just laughed it off and took the comment very lightly. Later that night my grand-mom told me that he was none other than Ratish Chachad, an ex-national table tennis coach. My eyes lit up when I learned that he had offered to train me. I took up this offer at once as the different styles, spins and speed of the game fascinated me, and I couldn’t wait to take my first formal training sessions from such an esteemed person.

As the years passed, passion turned into hard work and sacrifices. While it would be a lie to say that I didn’t feel like I was missing out on partying and spending time with my friends in teenage years, the experiences I gained while playing tournaments, losing and fighting back harder, and of course the feeling of winning overshadowed any doubt in my mind that this is what I wanted to do. It was also always about representing the country, and ever since I played under our ‘tiranga,’ there has been no looking back.

You've been considered the future of the Indian Table Tennis. How do you look at these comments?

Dani: Indian table tennis has been on a meteoric rise in the past few years. Both – men and women – winning the team championship gold at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games proves this. This makes me feel incredibly honoured to be spoken about like this but also feel it is unfair – in a country of over a billion people with no dearth of talented players – to not mention other young and upcoming players. To name a few boys, Manav Thakkar, Arjun Ghosh, Ronit Bhanja, Siddhesh Pande, Manush Shah, Jeet Chandra and Ravindra Kotiyan. On the girls side, Ahyika Mukherjee, Archana Kamath, Diya Chitale, Selena Deepti, Swastika Ghosh. I’m confident that there are many more “future of Indian table tennis” players other than the ones I’ve mentioned and only our combined efforts will be able to take table tennis to even greater heights than those right now through the efforts of Sharath (Kamal) bhaiya, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Harmeet Desai, Manika Batra and the rest of the Indian team.

Who has been your idol? What role has he/she played in your life?

Dani: I have various idols but if I had to choose just one, it has been my mentor – Kamlesh Mehta Sir. From winning the Nationals 8 times to representing India at 2 Olympics to winning the Arjuna Award, there isn’t a single Indian record he hasn’t broken. His records on the table, as well as demeanour and behaviour of the table, make him someone I look up to.

Kamlesh sir gave me my first medal at a Mumbai Ranking event at age 10, became my coach around age 12, my mentor by 15 and is now like a fatherly figure to me. As you would assume, he has helped me develop my game, plan my training and competition schedules, give me tips on how to balance school-social life-game and most importantly, be there whenever I needed honest advice.

You won three medals at the El Salvador Junior Table Tennis Championships. What was the feeling when you went on the podium thrice in that tournament?

Dani: I couldn’t have asked for a better farewell on the ITTF Junior Circuit. The thought of it being my last ever junior event made me prepare even harder. My whole summer was spent training as I had no pressure from academics as I had just finished my 12th grade IB exams. Every moment of discipline and commitment felt worth it when I went onto the podium thrice. Seeing the national flag go up as the national anthem played is a feeling that is indescribable. In fact, the last time I went back onto the podium, I had a flashback of my best table tennis memories including the 25 previous times I had stepped onto the podium at international events. Everything just felt so worth it, and it felt like a stepping stone for me onto the senior circuit. Here we go!

We've reached halfway through the season. What are your plans for the rest of the season?

Dani: Although we are halfway through 2018, the season technically starts now. From 5th July, the first of five national ranking tournaments begin and performances in these tournaments will decide the national team. From August onwards I hope to represent India at ITTF World Tour and Challenge Series tournaments to gain international exposure. Early September onwards I’m super excited to be trained in Berlin, Germany under a 1-year contract with the hope that I will also get to play league matches. Continuously, I will continue to pursue my undergraduate degree from NYU (New York University) and play matches for the college team as well. That sums up a busy second half of 2018 for me.

Dani is set to add more accomplishments under his bag in this year

Butterfly Badger Open which was held in USA consisted of various international stars. How would you like to analyse your performance out there in the U-23 category?

Dani: Badger Open was within three weeks of me moving to New York, and it took time to settle into my college dorm and get used to the new education system as well as the city. Training had slowed down a little, and I went in with mediocre expectations. But I had worked extremely hard on some very specific details of my game, and that proved to be the difference. I was extremely sharp in the serve-receive game as well as my counter-attacking tactics. As I won round on round, I gained confidence, and this helped me feel a very good high during the event. Most of my opponents didn’t expect me to play the way I did and I would like to dedicate my coaches in New York (Kokou Fanny and Ojo Onaolopo) for this victory. So, on the whole, I’d like to analyze my performance very highly as I was able to surprise and beat players I had previously lost to.

What kind of changes have you observed in the Table Tennis atmosphere which has boosted up the level of Table Tennis in India?

Dani: From increased international exposure to better organization of national events to Ultimate Table Tennis - a first of its kind, professional table tennis league, there are various factors that have boosted the level of Table Tennis in India. TTFI (Table Tennis Federation of India) and SAI (Sports Authority of India) have increased funding leading to more international tournaments and camps. Hiring a full-time international coach in Massimo Constantini has also helped a lot. Ultimate Table Tennis has helped Indian players (especially youngsters) to live, train and interact with the world’s biggest names. Another huge factor is the mindset of today’s players. Following Sharath bhaiya’s successful stint in the German Bundesliga, players are training and living abroad to gain international exposure, and this has really helped the level of Indian table tennis.

There are various young table tennis players who wish to represent the country in the future. What piece of advice would you like to give to them?

Dani: Consistency and perseverance are key. Exams, family weddings, there are many reasons to take long breaks, but through planning and diligence, one can manage to continue to train through these things as well. Losing touch is one of the worst things and as Michael Phelps said in his YouTube video “One missed session needs two sessions to cover up.” At the same time, one needs to keep working proactively and be patient, results and big breaks will come through.