"I am well prepared" - World No. 24 Sreeja Akula aims to create a few upsets at Paris Olympics
Sreeja Akula made history earlier this week, as she became the first Indian table tennis player to win a WTT Contender singles title. Moreover, she became India's top-most paddler on Tuesday, June 25, achieving a career-high ranking of 24 to leave Manika Batra behind.
Having qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024, the 25-year-old is keen to carry the momentum forward and create a few upsets at the Games.
Sreeja Akula played a vital role in ensuring that India qualified for the team event at the Paris Olympics 2024. She is set to participate in both the team and individual events. High on confidence, she has been in top form, having hit a purple patch this year.
Ahead of her maiden Olympics appearance, Sreeja Akula, in an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), said that she is well prepared for the tournament.
“It’s my debut Olympic Games but I think I am well prepared for the tournament. I just want to play my best in whichever event I am playing and just want to create the maximum number of upsets," she stated.
Teaming up with Achanta Sharath Kamal in 2022, Sreeja won the mixed doubles gold in her first-ever Commonwealth Games appearance in Birmingham. In 2023, she also upset World No.2 Wang Yidi of China at the ITTF World Team Championships.
Sreeja Akula had a bright start to the year, winning the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi 2024 singles title in January in Texas. Further, she bagged another title in Beirut after two months. Hailing from Hyderabad, the young paddler beat Chinese Ding Yijie in the singles final at the WTT Contender Lagos. She then combined with Archana Kamath to win the doubles crown as well.
Crediting her UTT experience for her overall development, the former national champion said:
" UTT has been very helpful for every table tennis player. I think we are getting good exposure and it’s really helping us in international tournaments as well.”
Sreeja Akula aims to be at her best ahead of the Paris Games
Sreeja Akula has worked immensely on her overall fitness and mental conditioning ahead of the Olympics to be at her best for the Paris Games.
“For the last two years, I have been working a lot on improving my mental strength and I think that is the first aspect where I have improved, especially in 2024. I am mentally well prepared to play against any opponent, whoever it is," she stated.
She has also been focusing on her strength and conditioning, along with working on various other aspects to improve her game.
“I have also been working a lot on my strength and conditioning, especially to prevent injuries, and to improve my agility on the table. I think that has made a lot of difference in my game. I have also worked a lot on my first ball attack against the push. I have tried to be more consistent in attacking that ball and I can see these three aspects have brought a lot of change in my game,” she concluded.
Post the Olympics, Indian paddlers will take part in the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024, which is set to be played from August 22 to September 7 in Chennai.