“It is indeed a very proud moment for me” - Manika Batra after breaking into the top 25 in singles rankings

Indian ace table tennis player Manika Batra has stated that propelling into the top 25 in the singles rankings was a big boost for her moving into the Paris Olympics 2024, scheduled to start later this year.

Manika recently achieved her career-best 24th rank in the women’s singles rankings after her exceptional performance in the Saudi Smash 2024. The ace paddler propelled 15 places in the updated rankings.

“It is indeed a very proud moment for me. To break into the top 25 and achieve my career-best ranking just months before the Olympic Games is a very potent boost to my preparations. I am truly honoured to have achieved this feat and it is incredibly fulfilling to see all my hard work and efforts pay off," Manika told the media.

“Improvement is a continuous process and I am committed to it” - Manika Batra

Most importantly, Manika Batra moved past Sreeja Akula as India’s No.1-ranked paddler. Additionally, she equaled the World No. 24 rank achieved by Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in 2019 - the best among any Indian paddler in the singles.

As the countdown already started for the Paris Olympics 2024, Manika is motivated to turn things around in the quadrennial event. She is confident of improving her gameplay every day moving into the big event.

"As I look ahead to Paris 2024, I am motivated more than ever to continue this performance and move upward in the ranking to make my country proud. I really want to thank God for the blessings that helped me to give my best performance at the highest level. Improvement is a continuous process and I am committed to it," added Manika.

During the Saudi Smash 2024 competition held in Jeddah, Manika secured a win over World No. 2 Wang Manyu from China before bagging a win over World No. 14 Nina Mittelham from Germany to storm into the quarterfinals.

However, Manika’s excellent run came to an end following a defeat to World No. 5 Hina Hayata in the quarterfinals.