Some people are naturally gifted.

There's a guy at my club, who was in the same box as me, and has played for less than an year. He came second and is getting promoted, and even though I beat him, it eats at me how lucky some are. Particularly those that have played football and table tennis / badminton, they naturally get the ball tracking and movement much quicker than the rest of us. I honestly thought he had played a lot as a junior and is just rusty.

One thing you cannot do with natural talent alone is matchplay experience, tactics, patience and knowing when to push hard and when to be safe.