From Kukatpally to Paris, how Sreeja turned her fortunes in 2024

CHENNAI: Till about two years ago, she was not even in the top-100 senior rankings. Cut to two months ago, Sreeja Akula, who had her initiation into the world of table tennis at an academy that had only one table for its wards, is the top singles paddler in India, surpassing Manika Batra, and is now all ready to head to Paris for her maiden Olympics.

The year has been good for her so far. Sreeja started it by securing her maiden global title at WTT Corpus Christi 2024 and followed it up with WTT Feeder Beirut women’s singles championship, title in March, which propelled her to 38th in world rankings and the top in India.

With a string of good performances in her kitty, she’d now be heading to Paris for her first Olympics. “It is a childhood dream that has come true,” Sreeja told DT Next.

From the lanes of Kukatpally in Hyderabad, where she started playing table tennis as an 11-year-old at the Global Tennis Academy that had all of one table, Sreeja has come a long way. Today, she travels with an entourage, including a physical trainer, dietician, and mental fitness trainer. More important, perhaps, is her coach Somnath Ghosh, one whom she credits for all her successes. He travels with her and is always on the sidelines when she participates in matches both in India and abroad.

For every athlete who has qualified, these two-three months ahead of the Olympics would be crucial because one does not want to pick up any injuries. To avert this risk, Sreeja has recently been introduced to strength and conditioning, which was a new experience for her.

“I was introduced to sports sciences a year or two ago and had some assessments in Mumbai. I had the chance to work with top physios, who assessed and told me which part of my body is weak and how I’d need to work on it. It helped me understand my body better. I’m also in touch with my dietician Swati Batwal who has been helping to keep myself healthy ahead of the Paris Olympics,” she added.

Sreeja is part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and has also been working with Dream Sports for the past three years. “The support from Dream Sports helped me gain international exposure, I’ve been getting to participate in more overseas tournaments,” she added.

Sreeja went down in the round of 32 at Hangzhou Asian Games. But she believes every loss teaches a lesson and that she has to focus on the process to reach the desired result eventually.

Maiden outing at WTT Champions

At the end of May, Sreeja is planning to travel to China to take part in WTT Champions Chongqing 2024, where only the top 32 players get to play. It would mark the first time the Indian paddler has gotten herself a chance at the tournament.

She will also be taking part in more WTT tournaments in June to maintain her rankings. She is also looking forward to the national camp in July that TTFI is likely to hold, which would help bond better with those whom she would pair with in the team events in the Olympics.

Sreeja is not ignoring the fact that India might be seeded a tough draw for the team events at Paris, but she believes the paddlers are ready for any challenge. “I’m expecting a good outing at Paris, especially the women’s team that has a unique style of play. Everybody is different and we’re also working hard to improve our techniques. I believe we played really well at World Championships,” she added.

Roping technology into training

In a video that surfaced recently caught the attention of many, a robot on one side of the table continuously releases balls while Sreeja returns the shots. Discussing how sports technology has advanced her game, she said, “I recently purchased a robot for training. When there is no sparring partner, I can set it up and play. I can set up different strokes; if I want to practice defence or play aggressively, I can adjust it accordingly. It also serves as a multi-ball partner. Dream Sports helped me procure it, and it has been of great help.”