For most of his career, Paul Drinkhall has been the player coaches turned to when the pressure was highest. In Season 4 of Major League Table Tennis, he’ll experience those moments from the other side of the barrier as the new head coach of Texas Smash.

Drinkhall arrives with an impressive international playing résumé. A three-time Olympian and multiple-time English national champion, he represented Great Britain at the highest levels of the sport and built a reputation as a fierce competitor who was comfortable when matches became tight.

That background makes his move into MLTT especially intriguing. Drinkhall has followed the league since its beginning and, as he reveals in our interview, actually wanted to play in MLTT from Season 1. That opportunity never came. Instead, his MLTT debut will come as a coach.

And he isn't walking into just any franchise.

Texas Smash won the inaugural MLTT championship in Season 1 and returned to the championship match in Season 2. Now Drinkhall takes over a team with an established history and expectations, but also a new chapter to write.

We caught up with Paul before he begins working with his players to talk about the transition from playing to coaching, handling MLTT's unique pressure, building relationships with his new team, and the identity he hopes Texas Smash will bring to the table in Season 4.

Paul Drinkhall – Texas Smash Head Coach

Q1: Most table tennis fans know Paul Drinkhall the player. What made coaching something you wanted to explore at this stage of your career?

“I love table tennis and competing. Some fire for the playing side had gone and doors in coaching started to open. I really wanted to play in MLTT from Season 1. I never got to do that, which is a shame, but I am excited to get the experience through coaching!”

Q2: You’ve spent years being the guy on the table dealing with pressure. Now you'll be sitting a few feet away watching someone else play the big point. Which do you think will be harder?

“Watching is much harder! I know it from playing within team events and also more recently with coaching.”

Q3: When Texas Smash approached you about becoming its Season 4 head coach, what was your first reaction? What made the opportunity interesting enough to take on?

“As I previously mentioned, I have been a follower of MLTT from the start. As soon as the opportunity came I knew it was something I wanted to do. I feel I can offer things and also I can learn a lot from the experience!”

Q4: You’re inheriting a franchise that already knows what winning feels like. Texas won the inaugural MLTT Cup and returned to the final the following season. Does taking over a team with that history make your job easier, harder, or simply different?

“The true answer is, I don’t know yet. I feel privileged to be the coach of a team that has won the Cup. However, we need to come together as a team and fight as hard as we can to get there again.”

Q5: You haven’t worked with this group yet, which makes this an interesting moment. Looking at the roster on paper, what are you most eager to discover once everyone actually gets together?

“I know some of the players and know Dave McBeath well. Mahesh has been very welcoming and we talk quite regularly now, which has been great! I am looking forward to seeing all the different personalities coming together and all working towards the same goal!”

Q6: You’ve played years of traditional international and European table tennis. Then MLTT throws Golden Points, Golden Games and open-serve doubles at you. Is there anything about the format that makes the player in you think, ‘I would have loved playing this’?

“Almost everything about the system would have been great for me as a player. I have loved the high-pressure moments. Now I am looking forward to figuring them out as a coach.”

Q7: When your players meet you as their head coach, what do you want them to understand about Paul Drinkhall right away? And what will you need to learn about them before you can really coach them?

“I want the team to know I am there for them. I will fight alongside them to achieve theirs and the team's goals. For me, I just need to know what they need from me and the team to help them perform at their best!”

Q8: Season 4 will be your first chapter with Texas Smash. When fans watch your team, what do you hope they eventually recognize as a Paul Drinkhall-coached team?

“We are warriors. Fight from start to finish and have fun doing it!”

Rapid Fire

Playing a Golden Point or coaching one?
Playing.

Tougher opponent: a great server or a great receiver?
Server.

One player you learned something important from during your career?
Vladimir Samsonov.

Quiet timeout or fiery timeout?
“Both are needed. Quiet if a microphone is around!”

Something you’ll miss about being the player instead of the coach?
“Being (somewhat) in control of what happens in the point.”

Finish this sentence: Texas Smash fans should expect...
“Warriors!”

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