“Sharath Kamal’s achievements are maybe bigger than mine,” Former Word Champion Timo Boll hails Indian paddler

“Sharath Kamal’s achievements are maybe bigger than mine,” Former Word Champion Timo Boll hails Indian paddler

Sharath Kamal and Timo Boll

Sharath Kamal and Timo Boll
Sharath Kamal and Timo Boll

Germany’s star table tennis player Timo Boll is a well-known face in the field whose reputation definitely precedes him. Former World no.1 and three-time World Champion peddler Boll boasts of a 23-year long career. Boll who is also an Olympic silver medallist is currently playing for Borussia Dusseldorf in the Tischtennis-Bundesliga, Germany’s top league.

I call him the Hulk

Sharath Kamal
Sharath Kamal

Boll is impressed by the way star Indian paddler Sharath Kamal has achieved so much hailing from a nation which didn’t have a table tennis structure back in his days. The German paddler shares that his smart and intuitive game sets him aside from others. Boll is glad to have him as a teammate.

“What Sharath Kamal achieved is maybe bigger than my achievements, if you compare his way of becoming a professional table tennis player. India had no table tennis structure in those days, he had no real idols he could look for, no appropriate partners to practice with. It’s unbelievable, that he could become such a world class table tennis player,” Sportskeeda quoted Boll.

FS Video

“But if you know him, then you know why. He’s really smart, he has a beautiful touch and talent to hit the ball, he’s intuitive and his signature skill: he’s a fighter! I call him the Hulk. I’m happy to have him as a teammate, but more than that, I am glad to have him as a friend! He’s a wonderful person,” he added.

The Man who could beat the Chinese

Timo Boll
Timo Boll

Boll is renowned in the table tennis fraternity as “the man who could beat the Chinese” for his prowess with the racket. He has achieved the sobriquet having beat the likes of Ma Long and Wang Liqin to become the only German to accomplish this feat. Boll hails his analytic nature for his success against big names of the sport. He adds that playing in the Chinese league helped him better his game and in turn beat the top seeds.

“I’m very analytic, especially with my own performance. I found ways over all the years, after each rule change, to keep my level or become even better. I tried to compete against the Chinese as often as possible, played many times in the Chinese league and practiced with them during these periods. That helped too,” Boll concluded.