16 August,2023 08:36 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Reeth Rishya. File pic
India's Reeth Rishya Tennison, the first Indian female to win a senior pro tour in 2021, is eyeing a spot in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 after lifting the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 trophy with Goa Challengers.
Reeth has been progressing through the ranks and making her name at the domestic as well as the international level. After getting better past the opponents in the UTT, Reeth is now looking to seal her place in India's table tennis contingent, but she needs to overcome a few hurdles in order to make that happen.
"The ultimate goal for me will be Paris Olympics. I am working hard towards it, it is a year ahead of me so I am working hard towards it. I could also see a lot of improvement in my game like playing more WTT tournaments and improving my world ranking which is important for the next year to qualify for the Olympics apart from the WTT tournament there is a domestic tournament," Reeth said while speaking exclusively to ANI.
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Before Reeth takes her steps towards her ultimate goal, she will be a part of India's Asian Games 2023 squad as a reserve.
Even though she might not get the opportunity to feature in the tournament, she is still looking at the bright side.
"No there is no disappointment in it, sometimes a player gets a chance to play and sometimes you do not, so, there is nothing to get disappointed in it. You just need to work hard that is a player's life. At the end of the day the medal is coming to India," Reeth added.
In the Asian Games, India is likely to face a tough challenge as the top six spots in the senior women's rankings are covered by Asian players. Reeth disclosed what makes them such a big challenge to overcome. "
"When you are playing against Asians, they are far better than other European players. They are putting more balls on the tables than other European players. Whenever I face Asian players it is a 50-50 match with me. I am playing with the same rubber that they play. They know how the ball will come but when it comes with anti rubber then they find it a little difficult to play. It's like I am going in their zone and and challenging them in their zone," Reeth said.
The Asian Games are slated for September 23 to October 8, in Hangzhou, China.
(With agency inputs)
