Achanta Sharath Kamal is an Indian professional table tennis player and the first Indian table tennis player to become a Senior National Champion for nine consecutive years. This victory broke the previous record of the eight times National Champion Kamlesh Mehta.Sharath Kamal comes from a family with a history of sports as his father, Srinivasa Rao, and his uncle, Muralidhar Rao, are well-known table tennis players and coaches to upcoming players. Sharath was only four when he was introduced to the game, and he kept playing the game and practising with his father and uncle. Sharath Kamal with his father (right) and his uncle, Muralidhar Rao (left).At the age of 15, Sharath was asked to choose between continuing his studies and becoming an engineer or become a professional table tennis player, and Sharath chose the latter. His father began coaching him, but Sharath had a hard time leaving a good impression on the national-level selectors. Sharaths playing style was aggressive, which included a lot of risks, and this would affect his consistency in the game.At the time of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Sharath was selected for the 16-member training camp, which helped him understand the game well and improve his performance. Sharath qualified for the finals of the national championship in 2002, and soon he was drafted into the national team.In 2003, Sharath Kamal won his first national title, and he won his first international medal during the 2004 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. The same year, he qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics.Sharath consecutively won five national titles in a row before winning a gold medal in the singles TT match at the 2006 Commonwealth Games that took place in Melbourne. He won another gold medal in the mens team match during the championships. Sharath Kamal (middle) after winning a gold medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.In 2007, Sharath became the first Indian to win the Pyongyang Invitational Tournament that took place in Pyongyang, North Korea. In the same year, his best performance was witnessed by the audience during the Japan Pro Tour, where he defeated Lee Jung-woo of South Korea. In 2007, Lee held number 19 position in the world ranking.In 2010, Sharath Kamal was on a streak of wins as he won the US Open Table Tennis Mens Championships that took place at Grand Rapids, Michigan. He defeated the defending champion Thomas Keinath of Slovakia in a match that lasted for seven games.In the same year, he won the Egypt Open after defeating Li Ching of Hong Kong, becoming the first Indian to win a singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour. He was the captain of the team during the ITTF Pro Tour and helped the Indian team win the team title at the same championship after they defeated the tour favourites and nine-time champions England. Sharath Kamal at the ITTF Pro Tour in Oman.In 2010, Sharath Kamal teamed up with Subhajit Saha and won the gold medal in Mens Doubles during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha after winning the gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.