Sreeja Akula aims to create a few upsets at Paris 2024 Olympics table tennis

Olympics-bound Sreeja Akula created history in Lagos by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to win a WTT Contender singles title on Sunday.

With the historic feat, Sreeja leapfrogged Manika Batra to become India’s top-ranked table tennis player with a career-high of world No. 24.

Sreeja, who played an important role in helping India obtain quotas for the team event at the Paris 2024 Summer Games, is set to make her Olympic debut in both team and individual events.

The 25-year-old Indian table tennis player hopes to carry the momentum and create a few upsets in Paris.

“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.” Sreeja Akula said in an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis.

In 2022, Sreeja teamed up with Sharath Kamal to win the mixed doubles gold in her first-ever Commonwealth Games appearance in Birmingham.

Sreeja, who had stunned world No. 2 Wang Yidi of the People’s Republic of China at the ITTF World Team Championships last year, began the 2024 season by winning the WTT Feeder Corpus Christi singles title in January in Texas and added another crown in Beirut two months later.

The Hyderabad-based paddler defeated upcoming Chinese player Ding Yijie in the singles final at the WTT Contender in Lagos and then combined with compatriot Archana Kamath to win a doubles crown.

Heading into the Olympics, Sreeja has worked extensively on her overall fitness and also on her mental conditioning as she wanted to be at her best ahead of 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.

“I have also been working a lot on my strength and conditioning, especially to prevent injuries, and to improve my agility on the table,” Sreeja said.

“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 revealed.

Both Indian men’s and women’s table tennis teams have secured a historic quota at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Sreeja Akula is part of the women’s team along with Manika Batra and Archana Kamath whereas the men’s team consists of Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar.

After the Olympics, the Indian table tennis players will be seen in action alongside top international stars in the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024, scheduled to be held in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.

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