Somnath Ghosh, personal coach of Sreeja Akula, said that they were both “upset and crying,” after she fought gallantly and lost against world number one Sun Yingsha of China in the women’s singles table tennis pre-quarterfinal of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In an exclusive telephonic chat with Sportstar from Paris on Friday, Somnath said it was difficult to see Sreeja in such a state, especially having played so well in the first two sets when she frittered away so many game-points.
“I just told her that the pressure would be on Sun, not on her. If you get a good start you can make it. This is what I told her before that big match,” he recalled.
“Personally, I felt she (Sreeja) was under some pressure when playing against Sun. After all, it is the Olympics. Taking a set against such a big player would have meant a lot to Sreeja,” Somnath said.
“But, I am glad that she could give her best and this being her first Olympics, it is always special,” he added.
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Speaking about Sreeja’s progression to the Summer Games, Somnath said, “It’s not that I never thought Sreeja would make it to the Olympics. But yes, initially it was just a dream and then when she started playing well, it became a goal.”
“As I didn’t get much success in my playing career, I always wanted to see all my trainees do something great in their career,” Somnath said.
“I think her dedication and hard work brought her here. As a coach, I knew she had a lot of limitations but I had belief that she would overcome it with her hard work,” he said.
“It was always a process. I think when she won her first Senior National in 2022, that is when we started believing in ourselves and slowly she started playing well in the international circuit too,” the proud coach said.
Speaking about the future Somnath said that their main goal was to keep Sreeja injury-free for a long career. He also extended his gratitude to her sponsors-Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), the Government of India and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
“Finally, I want to say we are almost there. Please have faith in us and thank you for your love and support to Sreeja, me and the Indian team,” Somnath concluded.
