From champion to conundrum, the immensely gifted badminton ace Lakshya Sen’s journey in the past few months has been overshadowed by the ascent of doubles stars, Satwiksaraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. But seven successive first round exits on the BWF World Tour, not counting a walkover that he conceded in Hong Kong, tell their own tale.
As he prepares to take on Weng Hong Yang in the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta on Wednesday, Lakshya Sen will have to shut out memories of a defeat by the Chinese World No. 16 in the Malaysia Open in the second week of this month and a public discussion on an apparent lack of confidence.
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With the qualification for the Olympic Games hanging fire – he needs to lift himself from World No. 19 to be in the top 16 on April 28 this year – badminton fans in India will hope that the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion finds a way to resolve whatever is impacting his play.
After all, it is not only the first-round defeats on the BWF Tour that rankles his fans, but also the quarterfinal loss in the National Championships in Guwahati to 19-year-old Bharat Raghav, ranked No. 192 in the world. The 19-year-old from Haryana proved too hot for Lakshya Sen to handle, winning in three games.
At a fairly early stage in his career, Lakshya has already found it necessary to take a break from badminton. In April last year, he recognised that taking a break was not a sign of weakness but one of strength and self-awareness. For such a talented and aware youngster, his first round exits in six successive BWF Tour events has been shocking, to say the least.
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Such troughs in an athlete’s life are almost a given. In fact, most elite sportsperson will reiterate that the crests are fewer in a long-drawn career. However, it is imperative that any top-notch athlete caught in quicksand of early defeats and falling ranking finds solutions to arrest the slide and emerge on top again.
It would appear that a different solution would be tried in the coming weeks, with coach Vimal Kumar likely to accompany Lakshya Sen to a few tournaments. It must be seen as a welcome step the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) is assisting him with the services of a sports psychologist whenever he needs one, yet a deep dive into the past few months can offer critical clues.
Vimal Kumar has stated on record that Lakshya Sen’s fitness is the not the issue, but a lack of confidence is. While it is up to the player to find the confidence himself, it is also incumbent on the support system to push him in the direction. It is important for the Badminton Association of India to take the initiative of starting a collective brainstorming effort.
It is not to suggest that coaches like Vimal Kumar himself, Anup Sridhar, father DK Sen and brother Chirag Sen do not have the wherewithal to assist Lakshya Sen. But it becomes a matter of great concern when such bright talent finds it hard to go part the first round in tournaments that matter.
Perhaps, Lakshya Sen can cast his mind back to the Hangzhou Asian Games in September-October, 2023, to find some clues through what went right for him. He won all three singles matches in the men’s team event at the Asian Games. In fact, he beat Shi Yu Qi in three games to give India a great start to the team final.
If it was the presence of the Chief Coach Pullela Gopichand in his corner that helped him secure that win over a player who is now ranked World No. 2, perhaps Lakshya Sen can seek his counsel to overcome first-round blips on the BWF tour. It is no secret that Gopichand would not want to step on anyone else’s toes.
There are many champions with whom a heart-to-heart conversation may do the trick for Lakshya Sen. Of the non-badminton racquet sport exponents, he can think of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza and Saurav Ghoshal who have done well for themselves. They can surely hold up a mirror and help Lakshya discover what lies within himself.
In any case, it is up to Lakshya Sen himself to will himself back on the journey to being a champion. The path that he chooses to get his career back on rails will be interesting to watch. It would be a travesty if the powers-that-be do not step in to help him find the ideal solution that can make him be spoken of as a medal prospect at the Paris Olympics.
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