As 2025 is getting to a close, Indian table tennis finds itself with a new standard-bearer. Manav Thakkar, at 25, not only climbed into the top 40 of the world (WR 38) but also firmly established himself as India’s No. 1 male paddler.
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His season blended big-match temperament, sustained growth across formats, and landmark results that marked his transition from a promising talent to a genuine global contender. He withdrew from the WTT Champions Frankfurt due to illness, but the larger picture leaves little doubt 2025 was the year Manav Thakkar arrived. He is entered in the WTT Star Contender Muscat but the injury concerns raises doubt on participation.
Thakkar’s season opened in May at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Doha, where he began steadily with a composed 4–1 win over Timothy Choi. His control in the key moments stood out, even as he dropped the third game (11–3, 11–8, 6–11, 11–7, 14–12).
The Round of 64 brought a major challenge: World No. 4 Tomokazu Harimoto. Despite the 2–4 loss, Thakkar’s ability to steal two games built on smart placement and heavy countering illustrated his growing readiness to trouble the sport’s elite. Even in defeat, the match reinforced what the season would eventually confirm: Thakkar belonged at this level. In doubles, he and Manush Shah advanced to the Round of 32, starting with a sharp 3–0 win over Hribar/Kozul before falling to the German pair Qiu/Duda. It was an early demonstration of his all-round value to India’s wider table tennis program.
Europe Smash Sweden: Solid Mid-Season Momentum
Thakkar then produced another respectable run at the Europe Smash in Sweden, defeating Hiroto Shinozuka 3–1 with a strong combination of third-ball aggression and consistency (12–10, 11–5, 8–11, 11–9). His campaign ended in the Round of 32 against World No. 16 An Jaehyun, where he managed to take a game and push the Korean in phases before losing 1–3. These results reflected a player beating those around him and pushing higher-ranked opponents a valuable sign of upward trajectory.
The 28th Asian Table Tennis Team Championships, hosted in India, offered a leadership test. As India’s top-ranked player, Thakkar led the men’s team into a tough quarterfinal against Hong Kong China. His five-game battle with Baldwin Chan showed both resilience and fight, though he could not complete the comeback from two games down.
India finished sixth overall, with Thakkar bouncing back with a strong singles win against North Korea before losing to South Korea’s Oh Jun-sung in the placement tie. It was a mixed outing, but one that underlined his central role in India’s aspirations especially with India already qualified for the 2026 World Team Championships.
WTT Star Contender London: Competing with the Elite
At WTT Star Contender London, Thakkar once again showed he could compete in high-intensity environments. A confident 3–1 win over Connor Green opened his campaign before he ran into another top-five presence: World No. 4 Dang Qiu. Thakkar pushed Qiu hard in the first two games but eventually fell 0–3. It was another result that pointed less to gaps in skill and more to the small margins that separate the top 20 from the top 40 in world table tennis.
The defining moment of Thakkar’s 2025 came at home in the WTT Star Contender Chennai, where he delivered the deepest run of his career a historic semifinal.
In front of an energized home crowd, Thakkar played some of his best table tennis of the year. The highlight was his quarterfinal win over Korea’s Lim Jonghoon, a former top-15 player. A 3–2 victory as a landmark match, reflecting elite mental toughness and tactical adaptability.
He eventually bowed out in the semifinals to France’s Thibault Poret, but by then the job was done. The semifinal appearance delivered a major ranking boost critical ranking points from a Star Contender and cemented his shift from challenger to contender.
Thakkar’s WTT Champions Frankfurt debut reserved for the world’s top-tier players offered another window into his readiness. His opening win over Tomislav Pucar in a five-game fight was impressive, showing resilience under intense pressure.
Yet, just as Thakkar prepared to face World No. 4 Félix Lebrun in the Round of 16, illness forced him to withdraw. It was a harsh end to a promising campaign, and the season as a whole. It also highlighted an emerging priority, managing physical load and building greater resilience for back-to-back high-intensity matches at the world’s top level.
The Bigger Picture: Rankings, Responsibility, and the Road to 2026
In an unmistakable ranking trajectory Thakkar climbed from around WR 52 to WR 38, solidifying himself as India’s highest-ranked and most reliable singles player. His wins over mid-ranked opponents, close battles with top-20 players, and breakout semifinal run in Chennai all contributed to the jump.
As India plans for the 2026 World Team Championships and looks ahead to the longer LA 2028 cycle, Thakkar’s relevance is undeniable. His rise also coincides with a generational handover he is clearly the central figure around whom India’s men’s program will build.
Thakkar’s 2025 ended in a moment of frustration, but his season as a whole represents India’s strongest men’s singles presence in years. The wins, the ranking rise, the leadership role, the Chennai breakthrough it all points to a player poised for the next step. If his health stabilizes and he continues refining his game for late-stage battles, 2026 could be the year where he enters the top 30 and begins contending more regularly with the sport’s elite.
For now, 2025 stands as a breakthrough a year of battles won, lessons absorbed, and expectations raised.
