Interview | We had a good chance to play in the Paris Olympics semifinals, says Sreeja Akula Premium

Sreeja Akula's Olympic journey: from thrilling singles pre-quarterfinals to a stress fracture setback, aiming for LA 28 success.

She has had a rollercoaster ride over the last month. She is thrilled for having made it to the singles pre-quarterfinals — that too on her birthday — and stretching top seed and the eventual silver medallist before bowing out of the Paris Games. She is equally disappointed at letting go of a chance to make it to the team events semifinals.

If the spectacular reception she received upon her arrival to hometown Hyderabad came as a surprise, it was followed by the diagnosis of a stress fracture that has ruled her out for six weeks. Welcome to the world of Sreeja Akula, the paddler who made India proud at her maiden Olympics!

Sreeja – while trying to make the most of her forced break – relives her Olympic experience in a chat with The Hindu.

How would you sum up the fortnight in Paris?

It was a very good exposure and experience for me, especially since my singles matches went very well. I had a tough draw, but I gave my best. I played against Cristina (Kallberg) from Sweden in my first round and the second one was against the Singapore girl (Zeng Jian). I had lost to both of them recently, but I am happy that I could play my best and beat them when it mattered.

Against the Chinese (top seed Sun Yingsha), I played a great match. I was leading in the first two sets. I was a bit upset that I couldn’t convert them, but I think the experience also mattered then and she really played well.

The team event loss was a bit disappointing. We had a good chance to play in the semifinals, so not very satisfied with the result. We all gave our best and we just have to come back stronger and learn from our mistakes.