After making a mark in world table tennis at the Olympics, Sreeja Akula looks to take India farther and higher

Excerpts:

Q. You suffered an wounded during the Olympics and it has taken you a portion to get backmost to playing. How hard was the betterment process?

Sreeja Akula: The wounded was precise scary due to the fact that I’ve ne'er had to wholly halt playing array tennis before. The symptom started earlier the Olympics, astatine a tourney successful Lagos, but it didn’t impact maine excessively overmuch truthful I brushed it off. It was lone aft playing my opening lucifer (Rd of 64 against Christina Kallberg of Sweden) successful Paris that I knew my wounded was serious. So fundamentally passim the remainder of the tournament, I was connected painkillers. When we did the scans, we got to cognize the seriousness of the wounded and I was highly scared. I didn’t cognize for however agelong I would beryllium out. I’m conscionable grateful to person an fantabulous physio team, who worked astir the timepiece to guarantee that I got backmost arsenic soon arsenic possible. Right now, I’m not 100 percent fit, particularly since I wasn’t allowed to bash immoderate lower- assemblage exercises for six weeks till the bony healed completely, but I’m getting determination slowly.

Q. What astir intelligence recovery?

Sreeja Akula: It was highly hard to judge that I would beryllium retired for much than a period but erstwhile I accepted it, it got easier. I person a fantastic household who motivated maine each day. My manager Somnath Ghosh would sojourn my location astatine each accidental helium got. I really got utilized to beingness without array tennis and surprisingly, I was enjoying it. Now that I’m back, I’m uncovering it difficult. Seeing each the different players being truthful overmuch amended than maine physically is daunting, but I cognize I person to springiness myself clip to marque a due comeback.

Q. Talking astir the Olympics, bash you ever deliberation of what might’ve been had you converted those crippled points against Sun Yingsha? Now that you’ve had clip to ponder, what bash you deliberation went wrong? Was it the injury?

Sreeja Akula: On the table, the wounded ne'er affected maine due to the fact that of the adrenaline and painkillers. When I archetypal saw the draw, I knew it would beryllium pugnacious but my scientist supported me. She told maine that the gully can’t beryllium changed, truthful play arsenic though it was the past lucifer of my career. I went into the lucifer with that mindset. At 10-6 and 10-5, she (Yingsha) conscionable raised her crippled and went connected an all-out attack. I didn’t expect that. In retrospect, I should’ve focused much connected myself and taken a fewer risks. I was excessively passive and that’s wherefore possibly I couldn’t person those points.

Q. Before the Olympics, you said you preferred if your idiosyncratic manager Somnath sat connected the coach’s seat during the singles event. That wasn’t the lawsuit arsenic nationalist manager Massimo Costantini was connected the seat during that lucifer and was seen motivating you. Did Somnath not being determination marque immoderate difference, particularly astatine specified a important juncture?

Sreeja Akula: Coach Massimo is precise adjuvant but it was my archetypal Olympics and I wanted Somnath due to the fact that helium understands maine precise well. He’s the 1 who has brought maine to this level and I would similar it if helium continues being determination for my matches. I don’t cognize if it would’ve made a quality to the effect of the match, but helium knows that I don’t request information during a lucifer arsenic I’m ever pumped up. He knows that being stern with maine works too.

Q. Coming to the Asian Championships, India look a pugnacious quarterfinal against Korea. What bash you marque of your chances and the squad each together?

Sreeja Akula: I consciousness that the Asian Championships is the toughest tournament, adjacent tougher than the Olympics due to the fact that each the apical array tennis-playing nations are Asian. Even successful the singles draw, each state tin person 5 players portion astatine the Olympics, it’s lone two. We reached the quarterfinals of the squad lawsuit astatine the Olympics and we’re a truly assured unit. We person a precise beardown team. Personally, I conscionable privation to beryllium backmost to playing my champion array tennis.

Q. You spoke of being a beardown team. India present has 5 women paddlers successful the apical 100 and you are the highest-ranked among them. What bash you marque of this surge successful rankings?

Sreeja Akula: Earlier, entering the apical 50 was beyond our imagination. Manika (Batra) has led the mode rather incredibly by being a apical subordinate for much than 5 years now. The juniors are coming up and we’re seeing them origin upsets astatine nationalist ranking tournaments. Now, cipher wants to beryllium successful conscionable the apical 50. We privation to beryllium successful the apical 30 oregon the apical 20 even. Mentally too, we’re conscionable not frightened of playing anyone. It’s that cognition that has wholly changed and that’s wherefore I’m saying that we’re going to person galore much players successful the top-50 of the satellite rankings soon.