Sreeja Akula- Soaring to New Great Heights in Table Tennis in 2024

Hyderabad girl Sreeja Akula has far more to be happy about than just having asked for curtains to be shut on a dazzling 2024 for table tennis. Of course, it has been a defining year for her career, catapulting her firmly into the ranks of India's best in the sport, leaving fans and experts talking about the accolades all times to come. Akula has traveled from being the world No. 21 to becoming the one to break all the barriers in table tennis for Indian youngsters.

His journey was about survival, re-invention, and unbelievable success-from frustration to focus.

Sreeja Akula hit bottom in her career by December 2023. She was gifted, and she had dedicated reasonably well, but wins were very few, at least in the main draws of the events of the world tour. Crossing 50 ranking into the top ranks was a remote possibility as she kept falling down into 80s and the 90s.

"I wasn't really very satisfied with my shape last season, admitted Akula. "I was getting to the main draw pretty comfortably, but then to win from there was kind of a little challenge for me. Very frustrating."

Taking this situation head on, the 26-year-old came back much stronger from all these hurdles. She fundamentally changed her conditioning work, increased strength and worked extremely hard to reverse technical stagnation in her tennis.

"I just had to get more consistent," Akula said. "On my forehand, I started feeding in more options and concentrating a lot more on placing rather than necessarily trying to finish with power. Those changes played huge wonders on me."

Tactically Astute Move Pays Divergence

In 2024, at the beginning of it, Sreeja and her coach Somnath Ghosh started to feel they have gone too big. From playing at the WTT Contender levels, they thought that they will do better decisions moving on to the feeder circuit.

Akula was off to a roaring start and claimed the winner's purse in Corpus Christi Feeder at Texas. "I went out with an open mind and zero expectations," said Akula. "The intent was to create confidence and move in the direction of momentum. That win certainly helped."

Confidence in Akula further increased when she claimed a second Feeder title in March in Beirut. She was on course to face sterner opposition by June as well and duly won her very first historic WTT Contender title in Lagos, becoming the first Indian in the process to do so.

A Memorable Olympic Journey

Success spilled over onto the international arena for Akula in 2024, as she came out to be the only second Indian player to break into the singles round of 16 at the Paris Olympics. She played an extremely crucial role when the Indian women's team came back from behind to take the bronze medal at the Asian Championships. Her smashing victory over the then world No. 2 Wang Yidi of China in the Team World Championships proved her mettle against the best of the world.

But the journey to the Olympics was not that smooth. Akula started getting a groin strain, which, after a long time came out to be a stress fracture. She never focused on this but rather highlighted the positives.

"I did my MRI in the Olympic village. She diagnosed my stress fracture then," she reminisced. "But I felt a little compulsive that there should not go to waste that experience of the opportunity of playing for Olympics. So I made full use of this. This, too, came out well on a big pedestal."

Akula left Paris with career-high rankings with tremendous pride within, with ample rest period over a stretch of six weeks.

One year of Progression and Courage

The injury was a setback in recapturing her shape. "When I came back, I was uncertain at the table and not as sharp as one wishes to be," Akula said. "But I knew it formed a part of the process."

The battles notwithstanding, the steps she took in 2024 changed her outlook and career trajectory. She did not come into the year as a winner; instead, faith in resilience and adaptability is strengthened.

Actually, I was just seeking an opportunity to compete at the Olympics, Akula said. The injury made me move a little slower, but I considered it something positive.

Eye on 2025

Sreeja Akula, who had an impressive season last in 2024, seems prepared for this season. This season she achieves unforeseen success as well, while the horizon for a high expectation to be materialised in the subsequent year stands open.

"That all made a difference in the last year. So now I feel prepared, and even more confident about taking new challenges."

This rise to fame by Akula is unique and the persistence by Akula that makes her a role model for future players. But still, her tale can only be described as an effective how steadfastness, intelligent tactical decisions, and the spirit to change situations can well work in favor in the worst possible situation to a situation where opportunities can be leveraged to get ahead, after some bad time also.

It is the last year of the last decade of 2024. Closing it with this note is a world-class athlete and embodiment of grit and excellence in Indian table tennis-such a star standing tall - Sreeja Akula.