Samuel Walker interview - On moving to Germany, playing against Indians, WTT feeder

Samuel Walker beat India’s Ankur Bhattacharjee, ranked no. 73, in the WTT Feeder. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Samuel Walker’s German Bundesliga commitments and recent wedding to Monica Barbosa meant that he missed a substantial portion of the WTT tournaments this season.

The 31-year-old Englishman, ranked 159 in the world, has played in just seven WTT tournaments so far, with his best performance coming at the WTT Feeder Lagos in May, where he reached the quarterfinals.

However, his victory over India’s Ankur Bhattacharjee, the world No. 73 and second seed in the WTT Feeder Chennai at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University on Saturday, will rank among his best upsets in recent times. Against an in-form youngster, Walker produced a nerveless performance, matching Ankur’s aggression to pull off a massive win.

Speaking to Sportstar, Walker, a bronze medallist with England at the 2016 World team championships, said his experience of playing against Indians had stood him in good stead.

“I’ve got the experience, especially playing against Indians. Since I started, I’ve been playing against (Sharath) Kamal and G. Sathiyan all through my career. I believed in myself that I could win,” said Walker, who has competed in three Commonwealth Games (2014, 2018 and 2022), winning medals in the team events at all three.

Walker felt that playing in the Bundesliga had shaped his game and made him a complete professional.

“At 16, I moved from England to Germany and played out there. I lived in Germany until I was 24 and still play in Germany now (for club Grenzau). It’s been a massive help in my career. Without Germany and the system that they have, there’s no way I would have made the success that I have had in my career.”

His limited WTT appearances this season have affected his results, but Walker hoped the win over Ankur would open more doors.

“I think what I’ve struggled with in the last few months is probably not playing enough matches. Obviously, I came here not worrying too much about the outcome but with the intention of just trying to play as many matches as possible and focus on my performance,” he said.

Published on Oct 31, 2026

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