Rahul Belwal believes there is still room for improvement despite finishing the tournament with a gold medal in the Split Age Doubles category and a silver medal in the 30+ Mixed Doubles event.
Speaking to Pickleball Now, Belwal reflected on building chemistry with partner Himansh, the narrow defeat in the mixed doubles final and his hopes of earning a place in the Indian team for the Pickleball World Cup.
Belwal revealed that he and Himansh had never played together before the tournament, making their title-winning run even more satisfying.
“No, actually this was the first time we played together,” Belwal said before adding, “Initially, during the round-robin matches, we were trying to figure out the chemistry and understand how we wanted to play together.”
“Even in the round robins and the pre-quarterfinals, we were still trying to find our rhythm. But after that, everything clicked. I think we played really well, and our last two matches were really solid. I’m very happy with the chemistry we built.”
Belwal also looked back at the three-game loss in the 30+ Mixed Doubles final, believing momentum proved decisive. “I think we started the match slowly.”
“In the second game, we came back really strongly. I feel we should have started the third game with the same intensity instead of taking a longer break because the momentum was with us.”
“We had a chance. We missed two easy balls, and I think that’s where we lost the momentum.”
“If we had converted those two points, maybe the result could have been different. You never know.”
With the tournament serving as an important selection event for the Pickleball World Cup, Belwal said representing India would be a proud moment. “It would be an honour to be selected for the Indian team if I make it. I’m happy that I performed well and have put myself in contention.”
Belwal added that his immediate focus would be on sharpening his game ahead of international competition.
“The one area I want to improve is my sharpness. I want to play more competitive matches so that I’m fully prepared to compete against the professional players at the World Cup.”
“I think everything else is going well. It’s mainly the sharpness that I want to work on.”