Mission 1999: National title

In January, Kanetkar said 1997 had been the best year of his career. “The year 1998 has been 10 times better,” he said with a laugh. A Commonwealth Games team silver medal finish, a month-long training stint at Morten Frost’s Academy in Malaysia, and a top 100 berth in world rankings is more than a year’s work.

The training in Malaysia has been a great boost. “The coaches there worked on my speed and power. Mysmash has definitely improved. Their players are focussed all the time. Training sessions and practice matches are as crunching as a real game. They train under tremendous pressure, and that has been the key to their success.” The only rankling factor in 1998 must be the quarter-final exit at the Hyderabad Nationals in February. “A national title is my next priority. I aim for that in 1999.” But rest (he may skip the Bareilly Grand Prix) and recuperation feature heavily among immediate plans.