Junior table tennis champ scores success

15-year-old Bhavaadh Ramdhav is making a name for himself in table tennis circles. With less than a year of experience in the game, Bhavaadh won the Estcourt Table Tennis Club Open Tournament Junior Division in September last year; this has pivoted his game and his confidence.

Bhavaadh was born in Ladysmith and grew up in Estcourt, attending Forderville Primary and Drakensberg Secondary schools.

When the Estcourt Table Tennis Club was revitalised in August last year, the young man immediately became involved.

READ MORE HERE: The Estcourt Table Tennis Club reawakens

“I was first introduced to the sport by the club chairperson, Jeshan Reddy, in 2019. It looked like the most exhilarating and competitive game, so I wanted to be a part of it. I joined the club during the course of 2019 around March,” said Bhavaadh.

Being part of a club with members dedicated to develop and grow the sport in Estcourt, Bhavaadh soon became engrossed in the game.

“I enjoy being a part of a club because I can be more social, meet more people and make some new friends. It strengthened my game by making me work harder to be the best player,” he explained.

The club held its inaugural tournament in September last year; Bhavaadh was part of the junior division and surprised himself by winning the title.

“I did not have much time to prepare for the tournament because of school, but I attended training at least once a week to prepare for it. I just kept a cool head and did not stress about the tournament,” he responded to a question about how he prepared for the tournament.

He says that his performance during the matches was ‘average’.

“I made plenty of mistakes and I know I could have done much better. I was feeling overwhelmed that I actually won the tournament against such good players,” he explained.

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While the win has been one of the highlights in Bhavaadh’s table tennis career, another high point was beating a senior player in a practice game. Table tennis has been more than just a game for this young man; he says it has honed his character as well.

“It helps to improve a player mentally and physically, it helps you concentrate more, and you become more active. Table tennis makes me feel more confident in myself that I can do anything if I put my mind to it, and it makes it easier for me to interact with other people.”

The lockdown has prevented Bhavaadh from practicing regularly, but he is looking forward to getting back on track as restrictions are eased.

“My dream is for table tennis in Estcourt to be recognised by everyone in the town. Everyone must participate in the sport and love it as much as I do,” he said when asked how he envisions the future of table tennis.

When Bhavaadh isn’t playing this sport, he enjoys reading, gaming and running.

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