'I have learned many things from the last Olympics, and I am not going to make those mistakes again. My mindset has changed since then, I am calmer and have more confidence'
Wiser after her maiden Olympics appearance in Tokyo, Indian table tennis star Manika Batra on Monday said she is focused on taking one match at a time in the upcoming Paris Games and a medal will not be in her mind in the initial rounds.
Preparing for the Paris Olympics along with her teammates, Batra said she has learned from her Tokyo Games experience.
"I have learned many things from the last Olympics, and I am not going to make those mistakes again. My mindset has changed since then, I am calmer and have more confidence in myself," said Batra during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT).
"I have been working on my stamina and my agility, and my ultimate aim is to challenge for a medal."
"But I will go slowly. I will try to be in that zone and give my best. I will go round by round and not think of a medal too early. I will give my best for my country," Batra, who represents PBG Bengaluru Smashers in UTT, added.
Batra played an instrumental role in the women's team qualifying for the Paris Olympics, a first for Indian table tennis.
She also reached the quarter-finals of the WTT Saudi Smash in May beating World No. 2 and former world champion Wang Manyu of China and World No. 14 Nina Mittelham of Germany.
"India qualified for the first time (for the Olympics), this is a huge achievement. I am really happy with how we are working together (at the camp). I think we have a shot at the medal and we should give our best," Batra said.
"The growth of women's table tennis in India is really inspiring. I see many of my fellow players playing really well. Everyone in the team is motivated and training very hard. Women's table tennis in India will only grow further," she said.
Speaking about the growth of women's table tennis in India, the world No. 28 Batra credited UTT, which has provided young players a platform to rub shoulders with foreign stars and get exposure.
"UTT really helped us because we get to practice with foreign players, play matches (against them). We get good match practice," Batra said.
India will compete in the individual as well as team events of table tennis in Paris.
After the Olympics, star Indian paddlers, including Batra, Sharath Kamal, Sreeja Akula, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, will be joined by the world's top players such as World No. 10 Bernadette Szocs and Nigerian legend Quadri Aruna in the UTT 2024, scheduled to take place in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.
