"It has bridged the gap between the top level players and our Indian players" - Manav Thakkar on Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT)
Manav Thakkar, the 24-year-old table tennis star from Rajkot, has already earned a name for himself as one of India’s top emerging talents in the sport. He is currently the second highest-ranked Indian men’s singles player in the global rankings, only behind the legendary Sharath Kamal, and is now gearing up for his biggest challenge yet: his maiden Olympic Games.
Thakkar recently won gold in the men's doubles category at the WTT Contender Lagos 2024 and was also part of the Indian team that won the bronze at the Asian Games in 2023. The youngster has also been World No. 1 in both the under-19 and under-21 categories.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he shared insights on the role of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league in shaping the future of Indian table tennis and also expressed his pleasure in being retained by U Mumba for another season.
The 24-year-old highlighted the significant impact of the UTT on Indian table tennis, particularly for young players. He explained:
“It has bridged the gap between the top-level players and our Indian players. At the time it started, I think in 2017 or 2018, we had only one or two players who were in the top 100. It was only Sathiyan bhaiya and Sharath bhaiya, two guys playing at the top level. We all were coming up from juniors, or we were below it.”
He further explained that playing in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) against top international players and having the opportunity to practice and compete with them has been instrumental in the development of table tennis in the country.
“When we played UTT, when we played against top players and when we were able to defeat them, when we started to practice with them,” he added.
The presence of world-class coaches has also significantly contributed to the players' development. As a result, the number of Indian players in the top 100 has substantially increased, reflecting continuous improvement.
"Also, we played with the best of the coaches we had training under them. So now, you can see there are nine players in the top 100. The result is getting better and better. We are hopeful that with more seasons, we will see more and more youngsters doing well for the country. So yeah, it is very helpful for all the players,” he said.
“Now it feels like a family. This will be my third season for them” - Manav Thakkar on being retained by U Mumba for another season of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT)
Manav Thakkar made his debut at UTT with the Shazé Challengers in its inaugural edition and was brought in by the U Mumba management in the 2019 edition (season 3) of the league.
The young paddler quickly proved himself to be an indispensable part of the team, and recognizing his talent and potential, the U Mumba team management brought him back in the 2023 edition (season 4) and then retained him once again for the 2024 edition of the tournament.
On being retained by U Mumba, Thakkar expressed his confidence and commitment:
“Yes, now it feels like a family. This will be my third season for them and, you know, the team management, everything. They're very supportive, very cooperative. We are having frequent team meetings on how to develop the team and take it further. Last year, we didn't win a trophy, so hopefully, we'll try our best this season to go all out and win the trophy for the team.”
Alongside Manav Thakkar, U Mumba has also managed to bring in another top Indian paddler, Commonwealth Games gold medalist Sutirtha Mukherjee, for the 2024 edition of the tournament.