"Lakshya Sen is somebody who can do well in big matches; he’s got that champion mindset, "H.S. Prannoy told THE WEEK about his fellow Paris-bound badminton star.
Had Prannoy spoken a few months back, it may have seemed like hollow, kind words to motivate a youngster. To say Sen was struggling would be an understatement. The shuttler from Uttarakhand’s Almora suffered seven round-one exits between September and January. He split with a coach and further slipped in the rankings, leaving his Olympic debut dream in jeopardy.
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But, the 22-year-old rose from the ashes to reach the semifinals of both the French Open and the All England Open to seal his berth at Paris 2024. That is Lakshya Sen for you. Prannoy would agree....
“I was struggling,” Sen told THE WEEK. “By November, there was a change in my approach with a focus on building myself rather than just playing tournaments. I got those few weeks of good training, in Bengaluru, in November and December to build myself up. It was the key to changing results.”
But, he did not do well immediately. The bad run continued with the Malaysia Open and the India Open in January. “But, slowly, my fitness improved,” he said. “It fell into place during the European Tour. By March, I found the rhythm and the French Open and the All England gave me a lot of confidence. It has been a great journey since then.”
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During his bad run, his former coach, Vimal Kumar, returned to his side in December. Sen is grateful for Kumar’s contributions in keeping him hungry. “Even when I faced those first-round exits, he kept motivating me,” he said. “He would analyse my bad matches, but remained certain that I was going to make it to the Games.”
At Paris, Sen, world No. 18, has been drawn in Group L with familiar foe Indonesian Jonatan Christie (rank 3), Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon (Tokyo semifinalist) and Belgium’s Julien Carraggi. Sen, the 2022 Commonwealth champion, is targeting to top the group and trained in Marseille with the aim of getting adjusted to French conditions and to get a good sleep cycle. “It is in the same time zone as Paris, which is only three hours away,” he said. “So, I can practise at the timings when my matches would happen.”
Sen’s defensive game is solid. Yet, he lacks a killer instinct towards the end in close games, critics have said. This was why Dane Anders Antonsen got him 24-22, 21-18 in the Indonesia Open quarterfinal clash in June, they said. Sen accepts that he has to be more aggressive towards the end of games. “No doubt, you have to be on your toes to create chances and go all out in rallies,” he said. He is working on it.
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India’s Olympic badminton medals have been clinched by women, Saina Nehwal in 2012 (bronze) and P.V. Sindhu in 2016 (silver) and 2020 (bronze). While fully aware of his ability, Sen is not thinking too far ahead. “I am focused on the preparation,” he said. “I am gonna take it one match at a time, thinking about nothing other than the game in hand.”