Ultimate Table Tennis helping toughen our players: Sreeja Akula

The sixth edition of Ultimate Table Tennis, a city-based franchise league, is currently on its home stretch in Ahmedabad's EKA arena. Sreeja Akula, the pocket-sized top Indian women’s star who made it to the last 16 in the women’s singles at the Paris Olympics, feels that the event has been one of the best things to have happened to her sport over the last decade.  

Now world no. 34 in the ITTF rankings, the 27-year-old Arjuna awardee from Hyderabad has been one of the warheads of Jaipur Patriots in the eight-team franchise event being sponsored by Indian Oil.

Taking time out from a demanding schedule, Sreeja told National Herald during a telephone interview: ‘’The UTT has become one of the biggest table tennis leagues in the global circuit which the overseas players are keen to play. It has contributed a lot in creating a tougher mindset among our players as we learn a lot by sharing the camp with professionals from other countries in the mixed team event.’’

It was a Chinese barrier that she hit last year at Paris when after a hugely promising campaign when Sreeja bowed out to Chinese world no.1 Sun Yinghsa. ‘’Last year was easily my best so far as apart from progressing well in Olympics, I had won three international titles including the WTT Contender series in Lagos, the first by an Indian. I had given it my all against Sun and was leading in the first two games but in the end, her experience made the difference,’’ said a candid Sreeja.

The Chinese domination in racket sports like table tennis and badminton has been the bugbear for India’s campaigners and Sreeja feels the only way to chip at it is through consistent performances. ‘’It’s not that they are unbeatable, as my teammate Ayhika Mukherjee had upset Sun in the 2024 World Championships. Back in 2023, the Indian girls had beaten China in women’s doubles to finish with a bronze, a great achievement by all means,’’ said an upbeat Sreeja.

After missing out on the UTT last year soon after the Olympics due to an injury, the two-time national champion now looks to use the ongoing event as a build-up for her next challenge in July, the US Smash in Los Angeles. ‘’I will be on the road for WTT events and the Asian Team Championships is also there in October where we hope to win a medal. Yes, the Asian Games is there next year while the Los Angeles 2028 is in two years’ time but as of now, I would rather set short-term goals and achieve my targets there,’’ Sreeja said.

There is no mistaking an air of optimism on the eve of Indian teams’ table tennis campaigns in any international event and Sreeja feels a lot of it has been due to their back-to-back medal hauls in the 2018 and 2019 Commonwealth Games.

‘’Our seniors like Monica Batra and men like Sharath Kamal have raised expectations by punching above their weight. A number of factors like the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme), role of sponsorships courtesy sports management companies and of course the Sports Authority of India’s role, there is a much better ecosystem now than seven to eight years back,’’ Sreeja said.

She, however, urged public sector companies to keep an eye on achievers among sportspersons for recruitment. ‘’Athletes like me and Ayhika are employed by the Reserve Bank of India. There is a sense of security which helps us pursue our goals better,’’ she added.

Eight in fray

Dempo Goa Challengers are the two-time defending champions of UTT, having won the title back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. Other teams in the fray are Ahmedabad SG Pipers, Stanley’s Chennai Lions, Dabang Delhi TTC, Kolkata ThunderBlades, PBG Pune Jaguars, U Mumba TT and Jaipur Patriots.

The current season features 48 players from 14 countries, including 16 Olympians, and is being held under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani.