Table tennis player Anthony Amalraj recovers from COVID-19, not planning to join training camp

Veteran table tennis player Anthony Amalraj, member of the bronze medal-winning men’s side at the 2018 Asian Games, has decided against joining his teammates at the ongoing national camp in Sonepat as a precautionary measure after recovering from COVID-19. Amalraj, also a two-time national champion, feared for his life in a Chennai hospital after contracting the virus last month. His parents also got infected, adding to the fear. However, all have recovered now with Amalraj being discharged from the hospital on 25 October. “The training can wait. It was easily the worst week of my life when I was in the hospital. Luckily for me and my parents, we recovered quickly from the virus. We all know how deadly it can be. Grateful to god that we are okay now,” the 34-year-old told PTI from Chennai. Amalraj plans to stay at home for at least another month and has not thought about resuming training yet. “Since I had a chest infection, the doctor has advised me rest for another couple of weeks. I don’t want to take any risk. Only after I feel 100 per cent, I will think about getting back to playing,” he added. The top players, led by Sharath Kamal, have finally gathered in Sonepat for a 42-day long camp after training in their respective home towns for six months due to the pandemic. Other leading players like G Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai, who had club commitments in Europe, are yet to the join the camp. Last week, tragedy struck the table tennis fraternity with TTFI senior vice-president SM Sultan succumbing to COVID-19. The pandemic also took the life of his wife and mother.