India's table tennis star aims for Top 20 berth in rankings
Manika Batra
India's top table tennis player Manika Batra considers the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics from 2020 to 2021 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) as a blessing in disguise since she has got more time to improve her overall game.
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Batra, 25, who beat Reeth Rishya 8-11, 10-12, 11-1, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 in Panchkula to win her second senior nationals title last week, wants to set smaller goals and take each tournament at a time.
"In 2020, I was preparing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics when the lockdown was announced. Initially, there was tension about when the Olympics will be held. But later, I feel I got more time to train and rectify my mistakes and improve my overall game. My top priority was to give my 100 per cent in training and in practice," Batra told mid-day.
On Tuesday, Batra left for Doha from Pune, where she trains under coach Sanmay Paranjape at the India Khelega centre, to participate in the two World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender events starting February 28, followed by the World and Asian Olympic qualifiers in Doha on March 14 and 18 respectively. Batra, who is currently ranked World No 63, hopes to break into the Top 20 at the earliest. "My goal is to improve my ranking. Since we do not have many tournaments due to the global pandemic this year, I am not sure if I’d be able to achieve it now. But it’s my goal to break into the Top 20; the sooner, the better. “Belarussian Kiryl Barabanov [sparring partner] and my coach, who doubles up as my sparring partner, have helped me a lot. I want to go tournament by tournament. My first step would be to qualify for the 2021 Olympics and give my best. If I get a medal, it would be great. Else, I would train hard for the 2024 Games," said Batra, who won a bronze in the mixed doubles event at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
While many athletes learnt new skills be it cooking or painting, Batra said cooking is not her cup of tea. "Learning cooking and me? Not at all. I just like to eat [pasta. Earlier it was chole bhature, sweets]. But now, I don't even miss having sweets since I am on a diet. I love dancing. During the lockdown, I got to dance a lot. Also, meditation helped me,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi-born athlete, who is popular for her quirky nail paints, said they actually motivate her. "I like dressing up, but that may not be the same for all players. One should not stop being fashionable on and off-court thinking about how people would react. Personally, I always colour my nails in the form of the Indian flag for any big tournament. I feel like I am carrying a bit of my country with me. It motivates me. The Indian flag, the national anthem is what keeps me going."
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