Following his victories over England’s Samuel Walker and Martin Allegro of Belgium, who is ranked in the top 100, at the WTT Feeder in Cappadocia, Turkiye, in early February, Görkem Öcal, who is supported by compass, seemed to have made his first breakthrough as a senior player. Moreover, he reinforced that impression shortly afterwards at the Turkish Championships by winning the senior singles title and becoming Turkish champion at the age of 14. In the final, he defeated Ibrahim Gunduz, who was ranked around 200th in the world, in four straight sets.

“When up against senior players, it’s crucial to have a strong serve and return game, and I managed to deliver both in these tournaments,” Görkem tells me during our WhatsApp video call.

His family are gathered together where they live in Adana, the capital of the southern province of the same name and one of Turkiye’s largest cities with over 1.5 million inhabitants, except for little brother Kerem, who doesn’t think table tennis is the least bit fun (he prefers football and drums).

However, Görkem started playing table tennis while his family was living in Isparta. Aged 4 or 5, he would run around the training hall where his father, Gökmen — a former national table tennis player — held training sessions. Görkem loved being in the hall and, from the outset, didn’t want to go home in the evenings.

“He had a net for picking up table tennis balls, and he was very happy with that,” says his mother, Belgin Öcal, a former basketball player who now works as an English teacher.

“When Görkem was six, he started training more regularly and seriously,” continues his father. “When he was seven, he became Turkish champion for the first time, so we quickly realised that he was talented. From the very beginning, he was very committed and ambitious.”

“What I liked most about table tennis was the repetition,” says Görkem, who trained for about two hours a day from the age of seven, and has trained for three to four hours a day ever since he was ten.

“Görkem also does a lot of physical training,” adds Gökmen, who is a qualified personal trainer. “Now that he is growing so much, we do three or four longer sessions per week. Sometimes, after an hour, we break off from training at the table and do two hours of strength training instead. If he is to continue competing with the seniors, he needs to be strong.

To make sure he doesn’t lose his table tennis technique, we’re currently doing a lot of technical training. When he went to Doha recently, he was 1.78 metres tall, and he was 1.81 metres tall when he returned home two weeks later!”

Görkem is often away at training camps and international competitions. So how is he doing at school?

“When he’s at home in Adana, he goes to school every day,” says his mother, Belgin. “He attends a private school that is very flexible. They allow him to study online and attend classes via video link when he is travelling. He is privileged because he is a member of the national team.”

Internationally, Görkem showed from an early age that he was one of the best in his generation. He won the 13-year-old category at the 2024 European Championships and reached the final of the U15 European Championships in the summer of 2025, finishing second at the U15 Europe Top 10 despite still being eligible for the 13-year-old category. He is currently ranked third in the World Table Tennis rankings among 15-year-olds worldwide, behind Koreans Lee Seungsoo and Ma Yeongmin.

“Görkem’s strengths as a table tennis player are his speed,” says his father, Gökmen. “He works hard, he is smart, and he has a strong forehand.”

The family is supported by a team of supporters in various ways. These include the local club Ciltar MTSK, the Turkish association, the brand Joola and the compass Foundation, which has supported Görkem since 2023.

“compass’s assistance has been very important, not least for me as a coach,” says Görkem’s father. “compass has shown alternative, innovative ways for Görkem’s development. It’s important to focus on the process rather than the results, which is unusual in Turkiye.”

Three years ago, compass expert coach Bogdan Pugna scouted Görkem.

“We gathered information and met, and we found a highly motivated and skilled player with strong family support,” recalls compass managing director Daniel Zwickl.

“Görkem has developed rapidly over the last year. His recent performance underlines our dedication to supporting him. He can become very good at senior level too.”

Pugna continues, “We are committed to our plan for Görkem, who is now on the brink of the senior world. He is becoming more autonomous and taking on more responsibility. Last year, he performed very well at the European Youth Championships, for which he trained with us in Ochsenhausen.

Winning the senior championships at the age of 14 is a good sign, and everything has developed according to plan so far. Let’s see how the process continues. Everything is going in the right direction, even though there will always be obstacles along the way.”

Like many successful players, Görkem’s success is ultimately a family project. His father, Gökmen, is also his personal coach. But how do they separate their roles?

“There are, of course, both advantages and disadvantages,” replies Görkem’s mother, Belgin. “Gökmen is an ambitious and innovative coach with a talent for trying out new training methods to improve Görkem’s technique. And Görkem is a hard worker. If his father says, “Let’s go and train,” Görkem never says no.

Of course, they have different ideas and sometimes clash. But we have always been careful to talk openly about any problems that arise and find a solution together. After all, the most important thing is that Görkem is happy.”