I feel I am on the right path to the Paris Olympics, says Sreeja Akula

India's top female table tennis player Akula Sreeja gears up for Paris Olympics after historic WTT Contender win in Lagos.

India’s premier women’s table tennis player Akula Sreeja said that she was getting prepared to take on any opponent in next month’s Paris Olympics.

Speaking to The Hindu after becoming the first Indian to win a WTT Contender title in Lagos (Nigeria) on Sunday (she completed a double winning the doubles title partnering Archana Kamath), the 25-year-old Sreeja said the Lagos ‘double’ was a huge morale booster for her ahead of the Olympics.

“It is a very special performance for me coming so close to the Olympics. I am really glad the way I have been training and playing in the recent past,” Sreeja said.

“The preparations have been really good and my target in the Olympics is to create as many upsets as possible. But again, a lot depends on the draw too,” she added.

“I feel that I am on the right path to the Olympics given the way I have coped with the hot and humid conditions in Lagos and also the hectic schedule,” said the 2022 Commonwealth Games mixed doubles gold medallist partnering Sharath Kamal.

“I am ready for the kind of challenge one expects in the Olympics. The biggest challenge is to stay fit mentally and physically,” she said.

“I am more confident now. I am much better off with my topspin and the variations too,” Sreeja said.