CHENNAI: PLAYERS and coaches credited the format of the Ultimate Table Tennis behind its growth. While they were full of praise for the mixed doubles matches, they felt rules on the order of play could be flexible.
The final at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad saw higher attendance than it did in the semifinals on Friday and Saturday. Paddlers and coaches summed up their feelings about the tournament, and put forth suggestions for next season.
John Murphy, the foreign coach of 2025 champions U Mumba, has been a long-time follower of this league. He expressed his happiness in being a part of the league and hopes to be a part of it next season. He suggested, “I think that when you win the toss, I think maybe having the option to be able to start with men or women.”
This is regarding the fixed format of having to start a tie between two teams only with a men’s singles’ match, followed by women’s singles’ match, the mixed doubles, then another men’s singles, and finishing with the women’s singles.
“I think, if you have someone like Bernie (Bernadette Szocs, U Mumba) in your team, starting her early in the match, I think it can be something exciting for the league and I think it can also change that dynamic. We can start a 7-7 tie with a men’s match or a women’s match, of our choice,” he told reporters post the final.
He also wanted to see a little more emphasis on the draw. “I would also like to see flexibility for teams to be able to decide whether men or women start,” he added.
The mixed doubles matches have been the standout part of the league. Coaches and players have relished the prospect of being part of this match.
Pavel Rehorek, foreign coach of runners up Jaipur Patriots, called it a “table tennis party.” Rehorek’s career as a coach has seen his teams dominate European table tennis. He has led TTC Neuhausen, a table tennis team in Switzerland, to 14 league titles. But, being in the UTT, has been the most exciting experience for the Czechia coach. “The quality of players is fantastic. You see good players even in teams finishing fifth, sixth and seventh,” he added.
That excitement, according to Patriots paddler from the United States Kanak Jha, is also seen amongst TV viewers. “I think what UTT has now is a good league product. The fact that it’s a mixed team, it’s relatively short, so it’s good for the spectators. The people don’t want to stay too long where it gets boring. They have everything in three sets, so every set comes at one point. It’s a good system because even if a team is down, people still stay to watch. So in this way, I think the product that they’ve created is good here for the spectators and for TV viewers,” he said.
With regards to expanding the league, he said, “More teams is always helpful. more players, especially the foreign players, I think play a quite important role because they bring a little bit more of that star power and the high level to the league matches.”