For TT great Sharath Kamal, running into Roger Federer tops favourite Olympic memories

PARIS: From lunching alongside tennis icon Roger Federer to taking a set off Chinese legend Ma Long, India's flag-bearer for Paris Olympics, Achanta Sharath Kamal, on Wednesday recalled the most memorable moments from his five appearances at the Games so far.

The 42-year-old table tennis legend helped the Indian men's team qualify for the first time in history and is believed to be set for his final appearance at the Games.

The multiple-time Commonwealth Games gold-medallist believes that qualifying as a team could become the catalyst of growth for table tennis in India.

For someone who has a huge bank of memories from the Olympics having made his first appearance in 2004, Sharath recalled running into Federer at a dining hall in his debut Games.

"One day I was just out for lunch and as I was entering from this side, there was another person coming from the other side with a tennis bag and hair let loose. I feel like I have seen him somewhere. I couldn't recognise who he was with his hair let loose," he said in a release from Ultimate Table Tennis.

"We pass each other -- we actually cross paths -- (and) he goes to give his bag at the baggage keeping area. I walk in, take my plate looking at what to eat and it suddenly strikes me. Man, it's Roger Federer!"

Sharath said he was rather shy at that time but nonetheless searched for the Swiss ace.

"He was sitting at one of the tables all by himself. I went as close as possible. I didn't want to get in his place but still got close and I was eating (on the same table)," he continued.

"Suddenly, a guy comes in with a reverse hat and shorts and they are clapping hands. I look at him and it's Andy Roddick," Sharath recalled.

With the Tokyo Olympics postponed by one year during to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sharath recalled facing difficulties in training and yet he was able to make a dent in Long's march to the gold medal.

"Out of the five times I have played with him, I have won just one set against him and that was in Tokyo. And I am very proud of what happened there, especially coming in after COVID," he added.

"India had a very tough situation especially after the second wave. People in the rest of the world started their training back and, mid-way in the lockdown in India, we were still confined to home workouts, I was playing on my terrace. It was very tough.

"I was training all the time in India with the limited resources we had. From that difficult mindset to getting to the Olympics and doing my best, I really feel I did well,” Sharath continued.

Even though he suffered a knee injury during the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Sharath fought bravely to reach the second round. He defeated Spain's Alfredo Carneros in the first and pushed his Austrian friend Chen Weixing to five sets in the next.

Also, in 2008, he was still in awe of international athletes and Sharath recalled observing basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 'mamba' mentality closely during the opening ceremony.

Sharath also remembers his Athens 2004 meeting with double trap shooting silver medallist and former sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore before the final.

"Probably, I disturbed him in his alone time, but he was sitting outside and relaxing. Coach Kamlesh Mehta said, 'Come, let's go and wish him' and then we both went and he spoke very nicely, asked about my match etc," Sharath recalled.

"He went on to win the medal and after he won the medal, it was so easy for me to go and look at the medal because I had already spoken to him the night before," he said.