Sunday`s All England Championships final loss to Viktor Axelsen in Birmingham notwithstanding, India’s Lakshya Sen, 20, can be very proud of the way his season has panned out.
Sen was in the thick of things right from August 2021, when the COVID-ravaged Badminton World Federation (BWF) tour opened up. Nine tournaments were completed across August and December. If the tournaments ran with the wind, so did Sen. He was like an unstoppable hurricane, decimating opponents who are still figuring out what hit them.
He reached the final of the Dutch Open, quarter-finals of French and Danish Open, semi-finals of Hylo event in Germany, semi-finals of the World tour finale, semi-finals of the World Championship where he got a bronze, Indonesian Open and Indonesian Masters, where he lost in the first round to the then World No.1 Kento Momota last November.
Capital gain
With hardly any rest, he had to play the January 2022 India Open in Delhi, where he defeated world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore to claim the title.
Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar. Pics/Atul Kamble, AFP
Moving on to Europe, he reached the final of the German Open and the All England. Before the final, he defeated everyone of repute. At Muelheim in Germany, he beat his Sunday conqueror Axelsen to reach the final, only to lose to Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.
At Birmingham, he defeated Lee Zii Jia, the No.6 seed, who was the defending All England champion. Sen also accounted for Anders Antonsen, the dynamic and dangerous No. 3 seed from Denmark.
So, how good is Sen? How mentally strong is he? What are his strengths, weaknesses and how is he at training? These are some of the questions I posed to his mentor Prakash Padukone and coach Vimal Kumar, who have seen Sen since he was nine years old. “What attracted me first about this frail, thin kid was his ability to keep the rallies going. Other kids, bigger than him, would make mistakes after the third or fourth stroke, but Lakshya would continue merrily. He would be in the badminton hall doing something or the other all day. He simply loved to play badminton. At times, his father had to carry him out,” said Vimal. Padukone concurred: “I realised early on that he was something special. His love for the game was apparent and he was a fast learner.”
‘Big names don’t matter’
According to Vimal, who has been a daily, hands-on coach for Sen, he was never bothered about big names. The more illustrious opponent, the better! He was ranked World No. 1 on the junior circuit and won the Dutch Open at 17.
Padukone opined that Sen is very hard working, focussed, disciplined, dedicated, grounded and most importantly, mentally very strong even when up against higher-ranked players. He is badminton-smart in the sense that he is always finding ways to earn points and innovate on court. Like every formidable player, he always has two-three plans to dislodge the opponent and is not averse to taking risks.
“Lakshya is a thinking player, always trying to find weak spots of the opponent which he can then exploit. He has no apparent weakness in his game. His defence, net play and variations in attack are awesome. He can only get better,” said Vimal.
Padukone and Vimal reckon Sen is a glutton when it comes to hard work, never known to shy away from any sort of training thrown at him. This makes him a complete player.
Although he is winning titles on the circuit, he has to triumph in big-ticket events. The World Championships, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games are slated for this year and there is where he has to thrive. “It is important that he paces himself well, peaks at the right time and has good rest and recovery in a year that is crammed with tournaments. He can bring a lot of glory to the country,” concluded Vimal.
At 20, Sen is younger than his peers like Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia, Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand and Loh Kean Yew the world champion from Singapore. Axelsen at 28 will find his best days will be behind him.
There is no reason why Sen cannot be the world’s best shuttler soon since everything is going for him. But let Padukone have the final word: “Lakshya has been the most consistent player ever since the world circuit restarted last year. This is no simple task. He has truly announced his arrival on the world stage.”
