Sreeja Akula satisfied with Paris Olympics singles campaign, rues team event quarterfinal defeat

Sreeja, the highest-ranked Indian woman, spoke about her maiden Olympic campaign, and revealed that she was disappointed at letting go of a chance to make it to the team event’s semifinals.

India’s Sreeja Akula in action. | Photo Credit: PTI

Sreeja Akula has had a rollercoaster ride over the last month and is thrilled to have 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 event’s semifinals.

If the spectacular reception she received upon her arrival in 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, 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 Sportstar.

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.

You were playing your first Olympics, that too with the added baggage of being the highest-ranked Indian woman. How did you soak it in?

I did not have any such baggage of being the highest-ranked Indian woman or something. I never had that in my mind. I just wanted to give my 100 per cent. Ranking is just a number. I just have to focus on my game and improve each and every day.

It was a different feeling entering the arena. The entire stadium was fully packed and there was so much noise. But once I entered the arena, I didn’t have anything in my mind. It was just the opponent, the ball and me on the table. That’s it. I was just focusing on that. I thought that I’ll play the game I have learned. The cheering motivated me a lot and I enjoyed that.

Let’s talk about July 31. You are used to playing on your birthdays, but this time around it started with the joy of making it to the pre-quarterfinals and ended in despair despite stretching the top seed.

It was a mixed feeling. I was happy that I could make it to the pre-quarterfinals. I gave my best in the last-16 and I had no regrets. But now I feel I could have done something else. I did all that I can and kudos to her (Sun, who saved nine game points in the first two games combined).

She played really well even though she was 5-10 down (in the second game). It was a great learning for me, the way she played at that time. She took so many risks, it was a learning experience for me. I was very disappointed after that match. I just went to bed crying. But when I look back, I can take those learnings and can now say it was a good day.

Listen to the full conversation here:

Did you cut a birthday cake?

Not really. On that day, I couldn’t. I didn’t find any time but my friend and teammate Archana (Kamath) got a small cupcake for me. I cut it while having dinner. It was very sweet of her to get it for me.

There is a lot of chatter about the support staff appointment for the Olympics, with all three of you being allowed to travel with your personal coach. Despite the limited access to training facilities, can you elaborate on the benefits of having your personal coach around?

Somnath (Ghosh) sir being around right throughout, and even during the camp, helped me a lot. He was there for every practice session and also in Paris. We reached almost a week before our matches and he was around all along to motivate and guide me.

I play with him before every match and I was doing the same in Paris as well. Playing with him gives me that extra boost in confidence and I was able to do the same in Paris. Although he was not there in the match, I was looking at him in the gallery so many times and his presence was a boon.

Olympics felt like just another tournament since he was there. That way, it was very helpful for me and I thank the Federation for helping us get accreditation for the personal coach.

What matters more to you personally: making it to the singles pre-quarterfinal or the team event quarterfinal?

Both are really good. Based on the draw, we could have made it to the team semifinals. We did our best, there’s no doubt in that, but we are not that satisfied with our result. Everybody’s expectations were more and we can understand that. It would have been nice if we could have entered the semifinals in team. So yeah, that’s what I can say.

Can you give us a sense about being a part of the Olympic village?

It was something very different. It had a very different feeling. You get to see so many other athletes. I was lucky to have met (Rafael) Nadal, (Carlos) Alcaraz and Serena Williams. They are some of the best athletes in the world. I got to see them and it was very inspiring to see other athletes. You go to the gym and you see so many athletes working hard. It was a totally different feeling altogether.

Can you tell us the goals you have set for yourself with an eye on LA 28?

For now, I have to rest for six weeks due to a stress fracture. I will treat this phase as a part of my training. I will try to prepare myself mentally and get back stronger. Once I recover, there are two Champions tournaments and then Asian Championship and the China Smash. Besides the international calendar, we also have the domestic calendar coming up.

So, I will strive to improve every day. I’ll just try to keep improving my skills, and also physically I need to improve. I learned that I have to get better a lot on my speed and reflexes and I’ll also be working on that. I was ranked 21 at the last world rankings update. My aim will be to keep improving, enter the top-20 and then the top-15 in the world.