A few days ago, during a training session not long before his quarterfinal at the Asian Cup in Yokohama, G Sathiyan caught a glimpse of a rather unexpected spectator. It was his opponent, China's Ma Long.
In the world of table tennis, there are few players rated as highly as the 30-year-old from China, who is one of only five players to have won gold medals at the World Championships, World Cup and Olympic Games. Strictly on the basis of achievements, Sathiyan, who is ranked 28th in the world, doesn't really compare. Yet, just Long's curious gaze from one side of the room was significant.
"In the past perhaps they wouldn't watch us. We weren't considered a threat," Sathiyan says. Over the past year though, that has stopped being the case. Leading up to the tournament, Sathiyan's rankings shot up over the previous season, on the back of his performances at the Qatar Open (where he reached the round of 16), Hong Kong Open (round of 32), Korea Open (round of 32), Australian Open (round of 16), and Austrian Open (round of 16).
"Over the last few tournaments, the players from China are watching our games in person. They also know that our standard has risen," he says. And so it was the case with Long as well as the current World No.1 Fan Zhendong, who decided to watch Sathiyan's practicing with compatriot Achanta Sharath Kamal. "I saw that Ma Long was watching me and he gave me a smile too. It's a good feeling to know that you are among a handful of players he is probably watching."
The match itself finished with the expected result - a win for Long. But even in defeat there was something heartening - the fact that Sathiyan managed to take a single set off Long.
"It's a great feeling playing the best player in the world. Some of the shots are out of the world. It's very hard to find a weak point. There are comparatively weaker moments but no weak areas. The only way to win against him is to keep surprising him with a variety of strokes," Sathiyan admits.
"There are a few things I took back from that match. I felt I was finding some success by hitting the ball really hard to his forehand. What I also felt is that even the greatest players make mistakes but you wont get a second opportunity."
It was a learning experience, and one Sathiyan is grateful for.
"There are things you learn from defeat and changes you make in your game that will help you out for the future," he says. This wasn't always the case. "In the past perhaps I wouldn't be so ready to make changes and adjustments in my game. But the more you play without changing or improving, the more obvious your errors become to opponents."
Over the last year, Sathiyan says he has been tweaking every aspect of his game. The most dramatic one was late last year when he changed the forehand side rubber on his paddle to a harder version that allows him to hit harder. But there have also been some minor adjustments.
"Just before the Asia Cup I started playing a little lower on the table during practice because I knew about the conditions in Japan where the ball travels a little slower and doesn't bounce as much. These don't seem like much but they all are important."
They also clearly work as his performance in Japan would have shown. After beating World No.19 and former Olympic semifinalist Chuang Chih-Yuan in the group stage to make it to the quarterfinals, Sathiyan eventually finished sixth in the 20-man tournament after beating World No. 14 Wong Chung Ting of Taiwan.
These results give him the confidence that he can do much better than his current ranking of 28.
"I had set a target of reaching the quarterfinals for myself that I felt was very tough and I got there and did even better in the final placements. That gives me the confidence that I can eventually go even higher. I think my ranking will go even higher because of the Asia Cup although my goal is to reach the top 15 by the end of this year," he says.
To get there, Sathiyan will have to maintain his momentum, especially at the World Team Championships that will be played in Budapest later this month. India finished 13th in the previous edition, which was their best ever result in that tournament. Sathiyan had pulled off a number of upsets of his own - beating higher ranked players like Gacina Andrej (WR 38), Lebesson Emmanuel (WR 29) and Robert Gardos (WR 49).
Sathiyan is aware he will be the player others are looking to upset this time around, but says he doesn't mind having a target on his back for this edition. Indeed, he is looking forward to having his opponents drop by to watch his practice sessions ahead of his matches.
"It's good to have people want to beat you and come and watch you. When people aren't noticing you it isn't as much fun is it?"