“It is now three vs two when we take on the opponents as Mathias Boe (doubles specialist coach) is omnipresent when we take on the best,” said R. Satwiksairaj, fresh from a historic men’s doubles victory, partnering Chirag Shetty, in the Indonesia Open last Sunday.
In an exclusive chat with The Hindu on returning home on Tuesday, the 23-year-old Satwik said that Boe has learnt a couple of Hindi words too like Peechey, peechey khelo (play back) and had been a truly inspirational presence.
“Though we enter the court with a clear strategy, there are moments during the match when Boe chips in with invaluable advice — like during a serve whether to go for the flick or the backhand. His emphasis on reminding us the ‘key points’ during a contest have had a telling effect,” Satwik said.
“He always tells us never to lose a match easily and give more than 100 per cent We have to work like a computer, figuring out a solution for every crisis in double quick time. There will be moments where we have to be good with our instincts,” he said.
“Boe joined us at the right time two years ago and ever since there has been a lot of change in our mindset, approach, and attitude. We are far more confident, definitely not complacent, and very clear in our task.
“The Indonesian doubles triumph is one of the biggest achievements of our life. Boe kept telling us that only legends have been winning this prestigious title. That way, it gave us great satisfaction,” Satwik said.
“The preparations were different for the Indonesian Open. We played as if there was nothing to lose as we realised that every combination is on the same page. All we needed was to stay focussed.
“Once we reached the quarterfinals, the court feeling was much better, like we had control over the drift factor and we were more confident.”
Reflecting on the big goal ahead of winning an Olympics medal, a smiling Satwik felt it would be all about destiny.
“From whatever videos I have seen, some of the legends who have been dominant in the circuit in the preceding years have fumbled. Perhaps, they panicked because of expectations,” he said.
“This is exactly what we don’t do. Our focus will be just on preparations and not expectations. We don’t want to think too much about an Olympics medal in the run-up to the mega event.
“If someone says that we (he and Chirag) are the biggest medal hopes from India in the Olympics, I take it as a positive without feeling any pressure at all,” he added.
Reflecting on his journey with Chirag, Satwik recalled that he was a bit surprised when he had to start playing with Chirag after doing well with Krishna Prasad in the juniors and seniors circuit.
“I didn’t want to question the choice because I always felt that if I play well, I will get a quality partner. Initially there was some discomfort and the language problem too with Chirag. He thinks in a posh Mumbai style and I have a typical South Indian attitude. But fortunately, for us the common goal was to sync well and win. So, soon, we settled down well and now the results are there for everyone to see.”
What are the areas of focus now? “Need to work more on body language, attitude, and mindset. We are targeting a mindset which fetched us convincing wins against the World No. 1 pair and the reigning world champions in Indonesia. That is the hunger we should have consistently,” Satwik said.
“We want to earn that kind of reputation of being invincible, instil that kind of fear and respect for us where the opponents concede a few easy points very early in a match,” he said.
“With Boe and Gopi Sir (chief national coach) around, we are confident of being consistent at the highest level.
“The secret of our success is that we complement each other in defence and attack. We know when to swap the roles under pressure,” added a confident Satwik as he and Chirag set their sights on the next big events in a month’s time — the Korea and Japan opens.
