Story of close to misses: Lakshya Sen’s senior profession to date is a story of squandered alternatives in opposition to huge names

Lakshya Sen could be higher off taking one wistful take a look at the glass half full, gulp down its bitter contents and stare into the depths of the tumbler – for its full, crystal-clear vacancy. An 18-14 lead in opposition to Japanese star Kento Momota, adopted by six straight factors frittered away to go down 18-20 earlier than shedding the sport 21-23, quantities to nought within the bigger scheme of issues.
Conquests outline badminton careers. Kidambi Srikanth earned his stripes, stunning Lin Dan with startling cross-court smashes, introduced out on the proper time to arrange his internet kills when successful the China Open in 2014. Sen’s up to date Kunlavut Vitidsarn dumped out favorite Lee Zii Jia rallying from a recreation down. So, Sen could be the primary to know {that a} four-point lead within the first recreation in opposition to Momota, whose again gave manner the following day, does nothing to burnish his credentials. Yet, a stalking halo of hope and hype of precocity follows Sen’s progress as he debuts on the World Championships in Huelva this coming week.
Next in line he could also be, but it surely’ll be an utter disservice to the younger man if he will get tagged ‘big thing’ with out getting the massive wins. Not merely first-game leads, the scorching begins, the YouTube-on-loop reflexive defences and piecemeal punch- clears that lengthen a rally. But the W within the outcomes column.
Sen sampled the lifetime of the valiantly vanquished this final month, and breaks it right down to its unglamorous elements: “Of course, I have to be patient and alert from the first point. But there’s no easy points later either. After every few points these big players read you better, change things around…” And similar to that, the match is gone. Momota straps his masks on the ever-inscrutable face, picks his kitbag and walks on. Someone like Viktor Axelsen, with whom Sen skilled for a fortnight in Dubai on invitation, leaves the niceties for the grinning post-game handshake and reveals no hospitality whereas thrashing him on court docket.
Add to that the legislation of the diminishing reruns: “I need to work to increase my stamina and pace. Have to keep energy up. It was still better the first few tournaments, but then the strength comes down with every tournament,” the teen says. It’s been a rare post-pandemic season with eight tournaments bunched in 10 weeks, the Worlds being the ninth in 12 weeks.

Should Sen, ranked 19, get previous German Max Weisskirchen, a tough first opponent, he has Japanese Kenta Nishimoto (No. 17) whom he’s by no means performed, subsequent. An attacking busybody, his recreation is laced with doubles instincts – these fast drives. But Nishimoto presents the Indian a chance to maximise the benefits of withdrawals in his half of the draw.
National coach P Gopichand reckons the way in which Sen is taking part in, somebody like Kevin Cordon, shock semifinalist from Guatemala on the Tokyo Games, will probably be “beatable.”
“His explosive jump and power are world-class,” he reckons, including that sluggish courts will pose a problem to him, like most different Indian males’s singles gamers. Heading into 2022 with the Commonwealth Games and Asiad, Gopichand does see Sen turning into a lynchpin of Indian groups quickly.

𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗡!!🔥
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Gaps to plug
Sen’s coach at Bengaluru’s Dravid Padukone Badminton Academy, Vimal Kumar says the previous few months have been about small pickings – beating a hitherto unbeatable Sourabh Verma – who’s a slow-court asphyxiator – getting the higher of Kunlavut in Germany displaying endurance, and digging heels in in opposition to Kanta Tsuneyama in a rally-resplendent defensive retrieval-fest at Bali with saturated sluggish shuttles.
“Against Momota, he had chances which he didn’t grab at 18-14 due to poor shot selection. He didn’t push the pace when he should have, and stayed back. Against Axelsen, you learn that you can’t go all-out,” Vimal explains. These are issues on the broad spectrum arc – too rushed, too laidback. That Sen presents 5-6 factors on a trot units him up on a platter for the massive names, with a drizzle of indecision including the crunch.
Sen can play fearlessly, however is but to discover misleading clears from the again when beneath stress, and his method on the internet will hardly ever get leeway, with the likes of Axelsen pushing him again like within the World Tour Finals semifinal. Sen discovered no semblance of size on his backcourt pictures to push the Dane again himself.

The unseeded 🇸🇬 Loh Kean Yew and 🇮🇳 Lakshya Sen take the court docket to chase a spot within the HYLO Open 2021 males’s singles last.#BWFWorldTour #HyloOpen2021 pic.twitter.com/FjfFD2JoR1
— BWF (@bwfmedia) November 6, 2021
Fitness fuzz
The type of bruising recreation fashion Sen has adopted sees him blaze within the opening recreation, and progressively spent thereafter. Rationing his wits and lung-power to final the gap is a problem. The explosive recreation has limitations of footwork – a giant blind spot – within the forecourt, and staying injury-free in itself is a problem for somebody vulnerable to breakdowns.
Sen understands the implications. “Whatever I could do, I did on the court last few months. But playing better shots under pressure after a long rally is the challenge,” he says. Travelling physio Abdul will want extra cushioning of power and conditioning work within the offseason. The final six months is likely to be his first injury-free ones. There’s the final push although wanted at what’s an important event of the season: the Worlds.