ON HOME GROUND

Like many athletes in sparring sports, national paddler Yu Mengyu has felt the effects of not being able to train with a table and a ball for three weeks.

She wrote on her Facebook page: "I'm beginning to feel that the table has become longer."

A feel of the dimensions of her equipment, and a feel for the speed and angle of serves and returns are all crucial in table tennis. And respite finally came for Yu when the Singapore Table Tennis Association delivered a "sparring partner" to her and teammate Clarence Chew at the end of last month.

The multi-ball machine does not break any of the circuit breaker guidelines as Yu is not training with a fellow human being. Instead, it is a device that is able to serve balls at different speeds. While it is unable to replicate the cuts and spins from top players, it will do for now as Yu practises with it from 2-3pm each day.

The world No. 50, who has qualified for the postponed Tokyo Olympics with the national women's team, said: "This is good enough for a simple workout to practise my returns and maintain my feel and ball sense.

"Other than that, my daily routine comprises strength and condition exercises with a 6kg weight, and analysing match videos. The national team also have a video conference every Wednesday."

She is known among her teammates for being the most savvy when it comes to beauty and self-care. In her spare time, she reads up on related products online.

But one of her favourite looks never gets old - her competition gear. The 30-year-old said: "It is a privilege to be an Olympian and compete for my country."