CHENNAI: Table tennis ace Sreeja Akula is full of optimism and ready for a fresh start.
The second-highest ranked woman player from the country's (World No 33) immediate objective is a good outing in the WTT Star Contender Chennai. She is not shy of confidence having made solid preparations.
With an event of this magnitude being held for the first time here, there is bound to be high expectations from her side. "Yeah, it feels great (to be second-highest ranked Indian player), but for me it's more important to just give my best on the table and I'm not worried a lot about the rankings and all that because that adds extra pressure so I am just thinking and focussing on the game and I just want to give my best," said Sreeja.
It's bound to be a competitive event but the paddler from Hyderbad is just looking to focus on herself. "Rankings apart, yeah, definitely, it only depends on how good we play on that (given) day, how best our body is and how focussed we are on that particular day is what matters. But yes, seedings also matter because the draw is placed depending on the seedings, so it also matters but again, on the given day, it's just how you play," Sreeja, who got a first-round bye, added.
The 26-year-old has been training under Somnath Ghosh and believes that their combination has been quite productive. Veteran paddler A Sharath Kamal had said that the country's doubles category (both men and women) has a good chance of returning with a medal. Sreeja concurred with her senior pro and said that she, along with G Sathiyan, will be looking to leave no stone unturned. "We are doing very well in doubles and mixed doubles as well. So mixed doubles, Diya and Manush have a very good ranking and I am pairing up with Sathiyan Anna (G Sathiyan). So this is going to be the second tournament. So it's new but we are going to plan to play together," the Arjuna Award winner said.
"The mixed doubles is equally important. These days doubles is given very much importance and mixed doubles is also an Olympic event. So for us, it's going to be a new pairing. So it's just a second tournament. We will just see how it goes and we plan to play together for a long term," she added.
The Indian team coach had said that the Japanese players were the ones to beat. Sreeja was on the same page. "Yes, Japanese have a different kind of game when compared to Chinese and the other teams. So Japanese are very quick, that's the main tactic which they use. They are very quick, we don't get time when we play against them. We hardly get time, the reaction time is very less. For me, normally with Japanese it's a bit challenging. So that's why I think Max sir told that," she opined.
This event is a massive opportunity for Sreeja, who was forced to stay away from the sport for a while after the 2024 Paris Olympics. "After the Olympics, I was injured and then it took some time for me to come back. It was a hip stress fracture, so it took some time to recover and then come back. But now I'm completely fit and I'm looking forward to a great 2025 and the next big tournament is going to be the World Championship. So I'm preparing well for that event and before that, I have many tournaments and also the World Cup which is in April. So that's also a very good opportunity for me to get a good exposure and I am looking forward to those events,'' she signed off.