A much improved player four years on, Manika Batra eyeing more history at 2022 CWG, Asiad

table tennis player Manika Batra wants to break the top-30 barrier in the near future and she knows she will have to work harder than ever to get there. It is an important year for the 26-year-old who will defend her Commonwealth Games singles crown in Birmingham before travelling to Hangzhou to create more history at the Asian Games after winning a mixed doubles gold with Sharath Kamal in Jakarta in 2018. The 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast was a career defining moment for Manika who exceeded all expectations by winning as many as four medals, including gold in singles and team.

She beat London Olympics bronze medallist Feng Tianwei twice in the competition to etch her name in history books. Four years later, she feels she is a much improved player. "A lot changed for me after CWG.

I have improved fitness wise and game wise significantly, especially in my movements, but this is not the end and need to keep working harder. Since I am tall, I had to work a lot on my strength and agility support my back and knees. "This year, we have CWG and Asian Games.

In my mind it is there I have to win but focus is on training," the world number 49 told PTI. Manika was recently involved in a legal battle which led to an indefinite suspension of the Table Tennis of Federation of India. She chose not to comment on the controversial subject but hoped that the suspension would not impact any player.

Recently signed by Adidas for its "Impossible is Nothing" campaign, Manika has also moved up to sixth and 10th in the doubles and mixed doubles rankings respectively. Ahead of the WTT Contender in Muscat next month, Manika recently trained with mixed doubles partner G Sathiyan in Chennai. The duo is aiming to win an Olympic medal in