Since his heartbreaking loss to Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the bronze medal playoff at the Paris Olympics in August, Lakshya Sen had played three tournaments. But he could not win a single match.
There was no problem with his physical fitness, but the mental block affected him. After making a comeback to the BWF World Tour in October after a two-month break, in all three tournaments – Artic Open, Denmark Open and Kumamoto Masters Japan – he conceded losses after winning the first game, as he had to against Lee in Paris.
On Wednesday, Lakshya overcame his third game jinx by scripting a 21-14, 13-21, 21-13 win over the Malaysian Olympic bronze medallist at the China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen, China. It was Lakshya’s fifth win against Lee in eight outings.
Lakshya was relieved to register a big win after five gruelling losses. He lost to Viktor Axelsen in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics.
“I feel good to win a match after a really long time. Things have been a little bit up and down after the Olympics. I am still trying to get back to my fitness,” Lakshya told the media after sealing his spot in the Round of 16 of China Masters.
“I took a break a little bit from the usual. Slowly getting back into the circuit. A couple of tough few rounds before this. I’m happy with the way I played today and just stuck in. Looking forward to tomorrow,” he added.
‘It still hurts’
But the pain of missing out on the Olympic medal in Paris still hurts him, Lakshya admitted.
“It was a tough tournament. In a way, it gave me a lot of positives but having come this close, it still hurts a bit. I feel it is still going to hurt for some time,” the 23-year-old said.
“The only thing I am trying to take is a lot of motivation from that and really push myself to be a better badminton player overall. I think that experience will also teach me a lot of things,” said Lakshya.
Focus on 2025
A 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, Lakshya is now focused on overcoming injuries and regaining optimum fitness.
“Now I am just trying to get back to my fitness. Also there are a few niggles here and there, so just trying to manage that,” he added.
With the BWF World Tour coming to an end with the China Masters, Lakshya has set his sights on the 2025 season. He intends to do well in the season-open Malaysia Open Super 1000 and the prestigious All England Open.
“Trying to build myself really strong so that I can play the next season really strong. This year it’s just about getting a few good matches under the belt because in the last one and a half months, two months, I’ve tried to come back,” said Lakshya.
“And then I just want to get a few good matches and maybe have a good performance before the year ends. But nevertheless, just trying to focus on building it to Malaysia and All England next year,” he signed off.
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