Sharath has been left drained by the gruelling schedule of the past six months and the shoulder injury, sustained as a result, has forced him out of the China Open.
NEW DELHI: Cricketers are not the only ones suffering injuries due to a gruelling schedule. The rigours of a long season have taken a toll on India's numero uno paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal, who pulled out of this week's China Open and is also in doubt for US Open due to a shoulder strain.
Sharath, the first Indian paddler to clinch the individual gold medal at the Commonwealth Games last year, said he has been left drained by the gruelling schedule of the past six months and the shoulder injury, sustained as a result, has forced him out of the China Open.
"The shoulder strain is not a major thing for now but it can become one if I don't take a break. I missed the China Open this week and I am seriously considering giving next week's tournament in US a miss," Sharath said.
"I have been playing continuously since the Indian Open and could not take a break because of my commitment at my Spanish club. But now I have been forced to sit out because of this problem," he added.
But for Sharath, ranked 97th in the world, the injury has come at the wrong time after he registered the best win of his career last week at the Japan ProTour.
The 24-year-old beat world number 19 Lee Jung-Wo in the opening round before going down fighting to world number nine Ma Long of China.
"It is a bit of disappointment of not being able to play in China Open because the qualifying field was not that strong. And I am playing my best at this point," Sharath said.
The US Open, scheduled from July 4 to 7 in Las Vegas, is the next assignment for Indian paddlers but Sharath is still undecided.
"I want to give the tournament a miss," Sharath said.
He would, however, continue to train to re-strengthen the right shoulder.
"The doctors have not asked me to stop playing completely but yes, I have been told to take things easy for now to prevent any long-term damage."
"This strain is part and parcel of a sportsperson's career and it gives me a chance to rejuvenate myself. It is not that I am completely out and I will start training after this week's break," he said.
On his Japan Open success, Sharath said, "That was my best career-best performance and though my run did not last long, I am pleased with what I managed against a very challenging field," Sharath said.
"I got compliments from some top players in the circuit and this was one of the tournaments where I was at my best after having a rather ordinary season so far," he added.
Sharath, who failed to defend his Commonwealth championship title earlier this month in Jaipur, said he was not particularly disappointed by his performance as he managed to reach the last-four against some tough competition.
He lost to world number 18 Gao Ning of Singapore in the semifinals.
"I would not call my performance a disappointing one because the Singaporeans were always going to be the toughest but I gave my best. I would say I just lived up to my rankings at the championships," Sharath said.
"But it is all behind me now and I am focussing on doing well for the rest of the year. This injury should not hold me back for long," he said.
Sharath said Olympic qualification was now top of his agenda and he would be training in Europe to get himself ready for the challenge.
"I will be training in Europe after August. In fact, we (the Indian team) will be having practice sessions with some top German clubs to build ourselves.
"Personally, I would be playing in five to six tournaments in Europe till December and keep myself focussed for the qualifying tournament to be held just two-three months before the Olympics," he elaborated.
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