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Aiming high, after the lows

The Indian, enjoying a career-high ranking of 38, believes he has a good possibilty of winning a medal at the Asiad.

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MUMBAI: The last occasion Ritwik Bhattacharya came to the city — for the PSA Otters Open in August — he was enjoying a career-high ranking of 43 but was also facing a form slump.

A loss in that PSA final was followed by a failure to qualify for the World Championships in Cairo and more shockingly, a loss in the semifinal of the national championships.

“This year I’ve done a lot of alternate work like meditation and working on the grey areas of my game. I was also not 100 per cent fit and that explains the slump. It’s difficult to get out of the Tour and then come back but I don’t have anything more to prove in the Indian circuit,” he reasons.

But the 27-year-old believes all the work he put in over the last few months is finally paying dividends. “I think my own understanding of the game has improved. I’ve the weapons now to hurt the top-10 players, something that I never had. It’s like Tiger Woods taking off the course to improve his swing and coming back trumps,” he says.

Two months on, Ritwik is back in the city for the CCI Open and the situation is somewhat similar, yet very different. Similar, because he has now improved his ranking to a career-high 38, and different, because this time his game is on the up and so is his confidence. Call it irony, fate or change of fortunes, it sure is a palpable change in the above-mentioned span of time.

“With the ranking I’ve now, I’ve a shot at the top guys in almost every tournament. Earlier it was tough, especially after playing in the three qualifiers,” says Ritwik. And his immediate target seems clear as of now — the Asian Games in Doha next month.

“I might be seeded four or five in the event. The last time around I missed out on a medal. So the first aim will be to reach the semifinal and ensure a medal,” he explains. Ritwik has his iternary well planned out.

“I’ve two more world ranking tournaments coming up at Wolverhampton (November 15-18) and Pakistan (November 21-25). I need to have one good result and then I should be in the top-30 by the year-end,” he explains. And he has a few more things on his agenda.

“I want to win the major tournaments and make it to the top-10. I’ve the next five years or so to prove myself in the international arena. So, there’s a lot more to be done,” he signs off.

 

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