Hugo Calderano: "I can be better than the Chinese" table tennis players

Bold statements tend to catch the attention. Now that Hugo Calderano has yours, let him explain. The world number five table tennis player from Brazil is aware of the mammoth task that awaits anyone trying to stop the juggernaut that is China's national table tennis programme, but says there has never been a better time for it to be challenged.

Speaking exclusively to Olympics.com, the 26-year-old suggests that others who have come before him and not quite managed to displace Chinese players may have taken the wrong approach. After all, since 1995, only twice have non-Chinese men won the World Championships singles title, and only once have China failed to win the men's team crown.

Now, ahead of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu from 30 September–9 October, Calderano says the current, younger, generation making a push for the top ranking spots have the belief that they can, finally, displace the host country's athletes.

"Chinese domination has been huge for many years now," the Brazilian acknowledges. "The most important thing we have to do is to believe it's possible to beat them, to be better than them and to compete against them. I think not all the players believe it's doable, so not all of them do everything they have to to succeed. Maybe they just want to reach the top but they are okay being behind the Chinese.

"I have always believed I can do it – I can be the number one; I can be better than the Chinese. That's why I wake up every day and practise hard. I have this goal in my mind to win big medals at big events – the Olympics, the World Championships."

Hugo Calderano on Harimoto, Möregårdh, Lin: "They bring something new"

In recent years, aside from Chinese players, Germany has often had its veterans Timo Boll and Olympic bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov ranked in the world's top 10 (Ovtcharov is still currently ranked 10th).

Now, Calderano currently finds himself sharing the world top 10 with 19-year-old Harimoto Tomokazu of Japan (4th), 20-year-old Truls Möregårdh of Sweden (6th), Chinese Taipei's 21-year-old Lin Yun-ju (7th), 24-year-old Darko Jorgic of Slovenia (8th), and 25-year-old European champion Dang Qiu of Germany (9th).

This influx of exciting young players from all corners of the globe has Calderano excited about the future of his sport as the top-ranked Chinese players face new challenges and challengers.

"There are some good players, talented players, who have worked also very hard, and they believe it's possible to (beat the Chinese) and practise hard for it," the Brazilian says. "The thing that makes these players different is that they have a different style or they bring something new to the game – where it's being creative or trying to play even faster or with more spin.

"In my case, I play with a lot of power on both sides, backhand and forehand, and I also try to innovate bring new things to table tennis. That's also the case with Truls.

"Harimoto, it's a different thing. He plays very fast, close to the table, and Lin Yun-ju, he's very strong in the service-receive game. I think we have to try new things and to maybe bring things that the Chinese are not so comfortable with."

Hugo Calderano: Representing Brazil – and an entire continent

Calderano first broke into the world top 10 in July 2018, and has gone from strength to strength since. Last September, he cracked the world top 5, becoming the first player from the Americas to do so – before becoming the first from his continental confederation to win a top-level tour event as he clinched the November edition of the WTT Star Contender Doha 2021 competition.

The Rio de Janeiro native says while he understands the expectation of not just his country but also Latin and South America, he does not pay it much attention when it comes to game-time. "I do feel like I represent the whole continent," Calderano confirms, before adding: "Of course, it starts from myself.

"I always tell myself I play only for me. Of course, people give me a lot of energy and they support me a lot. But at the same time, if I play mainly for myself, I can avoid some extra pressure. Nobody's going to put more weight on my shoulders and I try to just take the positive side of it.

"I know a lot of people support me in Brazil, so I try to take that positive energy. I mean, table tennis is not a very big sport in Brazil, but I think now it's growing. More people are following it and then checking your results. I just do my best, and I hope people can enjoy my games and enjoy my progress and stay together with me."

Calderano leads a three-strong World Championships team alongside Vitor Ishiy and Eric Jouti, and the Carioca believes the current Brazilian squad can make a name for themselves. "We spoke about the China domination, but I think Brazil is getting closer to the best countries in the world in table tennis. And I hope we can we can keep going and keep being (among) the best."

Life away from the table and what keeps Calderano going

At age 26, Calderano has already found himself playing at the top tour level for nearly a decade. Despite this, his motivation has not waned one bit.

"I really believe in my eyes and I'm still a child in table tennis," Calderano says when asked what it is that keeps him going. "I've been playing for a very long time, but at the same time the Asian players, they started even earlier than me. So they have more table time than I do. I believe I can get much, much better with time.

"I just need time and practice and practising with with the right goal in mind. And of course to beat the Chinese, to be the best, is a big goal, to win tournaments. But I think you can't do your best every day if you just have this general goal in your mind. You have to have small goals every day," Calderano explains of his training mindset. "I need to to refresh mentally to enjoy working on my footwork, to enjoy suffering physically every day, to enjoy being in pain, in practice."

Famously, the Brazilian is a Rubik's Cube master, able to solve the difficult puzzle in seconds. It's something he enjoys doing away from the table, but it's not all he does. Calderano often posts videos of him playing basketball, volleyball, or other sports to social media on his days off – but there's also another side to him away from sports and the Rubik's Cube.

"I play a lot of chess as well, I like to play the guitar and the ukulele. I learnt them during the pandemic. So in 2020 I tried to learn these instruments and I think it's just good to relax my mind and body. As my coach said, sometimes when we work very hard physically, our brain gets lazy. So I think it's very good to do these different kinds of activities to keep the brain active and to keep relaxed as well."

Relaxed is fine for Calderano – it serves as a perfect balance to his training style.

"I think I just enjoy being a little different, being crazy in practice. I think it's important for me also."