Manav Thakkar is set to break into the top 50 world ranking
Manav Thakkar lost to World No. 54 Thibault Poret 3-1 in the semifinals on Sunday, capping up his incredible run at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025. The 24-year-old’s defeat to his French opponent came with a score of 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, and 11-7.
Manav Thakkar put up a strong show at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, pushing the 20-year-old Frenchman in an exciting, high-intensity match after becoming the first Indian male player to advance to the semifinals of a WTT Star Contender tournament just the day before. Manav ignited the home crowd by rallying to win the third game after barely losing the first two. Poret’s outstanding defensive performance throughout was ultimately the deciding factor.
Who is table tennis player Manav Vikash Thakkar, biography, age, height, parents, education, hometown birth place, world ranking and equipment
24-year-old Manav V Thakkar was born on 14 April 2000 to Vikas Thakkar and Kalpana Thakkar in Rajkot, Gujarat and is 5ft 10in tall. Manav is pursuing B.A. in English Literature and Psychology.
Manav Thakkar’s parents both are doctors, with Surat based Vikas being an ophthalmologist and Kalpana an Ayurvedic doctor.
Courtesy his semifinal-finish, Thakkar who is currently ranked 63rd in the world is set to make his Top 50 debut in the ITTF Rankings.
Manav Vikash Thakkar is currently using the MK carbon(Racket) Evolution MX-P(Rubber Front) HYBRID K3(Rubber Back). He has been playing table tennis since 2006 and turned pro in 2011.
Manav Thakkar career
Before deciding to make table tennis his career, Manav Thakkar competed in a number of sports, including gymnastics and skating. When he was five years old, he became interested in table tennis after seeing his parents play it in their free time.
He began his professional training at the Sufaiz Academy in Surat under coach Vahed Malubhaiwala.
He was accepted to the PSPB Table Tennis Academy in Ajmer, Rajasthan, when he was eleven years old, but he struggled to get used to living in a hostel and trying out a new food. Under the patronage of TIBHAR Tibor Harangozo GmbH, a German producer of table tennis equipment, he has been receiving instruction at an academy in Saarbrucken, Germany, since 2013.
Post match Interview of Manav Thakkar
He's so real 👏 pic.twitter.com/7ofDUYeook— Just Badminton (@BadmintonJust) March 30, 2025
With 6396 points in 2018, he was the top-ranked player in the world at the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) under-18 division. With 6780 points at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Challenge Plus Benemax-Virgo North American Open in Markham, Canada, in 2019, he was rated first in the world in the under-21 division.
After Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Achanta Sharath Kamal, he is the third Indian to have played in the Bundesliga league, Germany’s premier tier. He participated in the Gujarat Super League Table Tennis Season 2 in 2024 with the Shamal Squad. He works as a grade A1 officer at the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) as of June 2024.