ROCHESTER, N.Y. — AJ Carney started playing table tennis at 6 years old. By age 9, he had people recruiting him to train professionally. 

“[A] couple people wanted me to relocate and practice full time, but I had more interest in baseball at the time," said Carney. 

But he didn’t stop practicing and eventually turned table tennis from a hobby into a career. A career that’s brought him worldwide attention. 

“It’s a little intimidating because in the U.S. the sport is one thing but internationally the sport is much bigger," said Carney.  

In January, Carney will travel to Mexico to compete in the table tennis World Cup. He’s training with the Genesee Valley Table Tennis Club or at least the ones who can keep up. 

"There was a time I could beat him, that ended and he never looked back," said Andre Maronian. 

Maronian is the president of GVTTC. He says having Carney in the club brought a new life to it. 

"Having a top-ranked player in the world but also he’s a top-ranked coach here locally just means the sky’s the limit," said Maronian.  

Carney typically competes using a sandpaper or hard bat paddle. But he can win using just about anything — even using a clipboard. In the World Cup Carney plans to compete in four different categories. 

"It's going to be probably 20 plus matches which is a lot of stressful matches and taxing on the body," said Carney. 

The sport also takes a lot of mental practice. 

“Being mentally tough, mentally focused for the level of play that it’s going to be at worlds," Carney says.  

The World Cup is one of the largest tournaments Carney has played in. But after three decades in the sport, he’s ready for whatever the game throws at him.

The tournament takes place in Mexico City from Jan. 4-6.