World Team Snooker champion discusses life on the green baize and beyond during an interaction with a bunch of aspiring cueists
World Team Snooker champion Aditya Mehta (left) in conversation with mid-day's Harit Joshi (second from left) and a bunch of aspiring cue sports players during the Meet Your Icon session at the mid-day office in Bandra. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
Ace cueist Aditya Mehta is on a high. Having won the World Team Snooker title in Myanmar last month, to add to his multiple Asian Games medals and other professional titles, he is also on the path to recovering well from a career-threatening neck injury.
The stylish snooker champ took some time off from his busy training schedule ahead of the World Snooker Championships (October 29 to November 9) in Antalya,
Turkey, to visit the mid-day office in Bandra for mid-day's Meet Your Icon series, where we bring fans face to face with their sporting heroes.
ADVERTISEMENT
"My Diwali will be away from home again as it has been almost every year due to international tournaments. But it's not so bad as this is the World Championships," Mehta, 33, said with a smile.
The Chembur resident discussed in detail how his snooker journey began, his career highs, injury problem and finally assured us that the baize is indeed green as far as the futurescope is concerned.
Could you take us back to how your snooker journey began?
I went to Don Bosco, Matunga, a school known for sports. I started with football, cricket and badminton. I played a bit of golf and snooker when I was 12 and my father was hoping that one of the sports stick because he was always a sports enthusiast. I think snooker was his biggest love. He started coaching me when I was 12. Within a year, we felt like there is some potential, and it's just been going on from there. Fortunately, this game suits my personality. It's nice and isolated, cool, calm and colourful. And it allows me to be myself. So, I guess I'm just one of those stories where you are influenced by your father and before you know it, it's your life.
Tell us about your World Team Snooker title win in Myanmar recently alongside Pankaj Advani.
I have spent a lot of time away from India on the World Snooker Tour in England, so I really didn't get an opportunity to play in these IBSF World Championships. But finally this year, after coming back from my neck injury, it was nice to play some good snooker and get a World title under my belt. It was very thrilling. I was pleased that now I can put that to bed and focus on bigger and brighter things.
Pankaj and you enjoy a healthy rivalry, right?
We have grown up together. He was way ahead in our junior years. He was the one we would all look up to. He matured so quickly. It almost forced the rest of us to really buck up to reach the level that he was at. It was very important for India to have a player like him because it then produced a string of players who were very capable. Obviously, once we realised what that level was, we had to bridge that gap. Though it took a few years, I'm glad that by the time I was 20, I was starting to bridge the gap. I managed to win the junior nationals, beating him. He was unbeaten for five years until that match. It was a nice breakthrough. By the age of 21 or 22, we started competing on the international stage. It pushed both of us to do well. It was great for me to get to the stage where he was already amateur World Champion by the time we were 17 or 18. Then, at the Asian Championships, by the time I beat him to win my first Asian title, he already had multiple World, Asian and national titles. Both of us have evolved. I moved to England and decided that UK was the place I wanted to further my career. That helped me create my own path. He was creating his own. All this while there was a lot of respect and mutual admiration, but also that competitive spirit that we wanted to be better than the other. So that's good and it's healthy. Then, when he came to UK for two years, that was the one thing that pushed us. I had my best season when he came to the Pro Tour because of that rivalry which was so important. We have had our success and we are both comfortable in our own skins. When you are a team, you need to know that you have your partner's back and if you've had a bad day then he is capable of covering for you. We did that at the professional snooker World Cup at China in 2015, where we won the bronze. That was an incredible result. We won two silver medals at the Asian Team Championships. Finally, a World title together [in Myanmar]. Honestly, both of us at the end of the tournament realised that this had to happen some day.
While many believe height is an advantage in cue sports as it betters one's reach, in your case, your height led to a neck injury and forced a change in stance. Could you tell us about that injury?
It's a repetitive strain injury. In the case of the more physical sports, you know that there is a certain amount of physical requirement and you automatically work on that. Snooker is not known to be a physical sport. So, until a couple of decades ago, it was not a well-known fact that you need a certain amount of physical fitness to have a long, healthy career. And yes, the neck issue may relate to height. Also, the fact that I had an awkward cue action. I had put a lot of strain on my left shoulder. So, it was all these things put together. Unfortunately, I didn't catch it soon enough and it cost me a few years of my career. But I am trying to make the most of what I have and live with it. And a World title is a good way to come back into action.
You have beaten some top names in world snooker. What's it like to face off against global icons like Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins?
It's amazing. Those are the days you live for. That's the reason I went to the UK.
I wanted to play these guys. Like every tennis player would dream of playing Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, that's what snooker players want. The buzz you get out of playing live on television and in front of millions of viewers, is something you won't get here. It's a totally different buzz. In the last season on the Pro Tour, before I stopped playing, I was up against Mark Williams in Wales, which is his home. So, I'm in his home city, in front of his home crowd, live on EuroSport, going all over the world with easily 10s of millions of viewers. I was just sitting there in my chair during that match and thinking that this is what I want and crave for. At the same time, I knew that my career was going to take a big hit soon because my neck was not going to survive the season. But that moment gave me the realisation that this is what I want and this is what I am going to try to get back to. The process is on, and one day, hopefully, I will go back to that.
Ronnie, Higgins, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, the list goes on. They are all amazing players. I played all of them on live television and they were all exciting and nerve-wrecking encounters. Of course, I have taken a lot of beating too, but I've enjoyed the few good wins against Barry Hawkins, Stephen Maguire, Higgins and Jimmy White among others.
Playing professionally can be costly and cueists find it tough to generate funds consistently. Is the government doing enough funding-wise to help cue sports flourish?
It's a misconception that snooker is a high-budget sport because sports like tennis and golf require much bigger budgets to play professionally. But the other sports have more avenues for funding and sponsorship, like a kit sponsor or brand endorsements. We lack this in snooker. So yes, that gap needs to be bridged. As far as the amateur level goes, the government supports it totally. We get funded for every international event while representing India. I hope the government does more but the private sector and corporate bodies could do more too. We have a good bunch of young players coming up and hopefully they will get much more support than what I did in my 10-year career in the UK.
What has been your experience with funding?
I had zero-funding for the first 10 years. Initially, it cost me around R25 to R30 lakh per year to live and play in the UK, and my dad helped me. For the first two to three years, I was not making any money. Later, I started to cover my expenses with my income and eventually broke even. I managed it but it's not easy, especially, on the World Snooker Tour. For amateurs, playing the IBSF World Championships and Asian Championships, etc, there is government funding so, it's not a problem. Thankfully, I have got Indian Oil as my employer and sponsor so my expenses are taken care of.
You have won quite a few medals for India at the amateur level besides suceeding on the Pro Tour. What's the difference between playing at the amateur and pro levels?
The Pro Tour is very restricted. It has 128 players with 32 relegated every year. That's a massive 25 per cent relegation, so the Pro Tour is a cut-throat world. And it doesn't matter where you come from, and they do not go to any country. So, obviously the highest prize money, the best tournaments, the best viewership is on the World Snooker Tour. The best players in the world make their money there. So, you're out there to not just earn your bread and butter but also to pay your rent. It's tough. The amateur level is like a breeding ground for potential professionals. Only the best amateurs make it to the Pro Tour. I got through after being the Asian champion and Asian runner-up. So, even an amateur world champion begins as just one of the top 128 players on the Pro Tour.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
