A year can be a long time in elite sport. In 2022, Lakshya Sen was enjoying a meteoric rise. Commonwealth Games gold medallist. World Team Championships gold at the Thomas Cup. Finalist at the prestigious All England. Title at the India Open. A career-high world ranking of No 6. But in 2023, he struggled. A solitary title at the Canada Open, but not much to write about either side of it.

After he lost in the opening round at the India Open on Tuesday, he cut a dejected figure in front of the reporters. The first question was about his hopes of reaching the Olympics, and the answer was that he was still in the match zone and couldn’t speak about it. But it came across as someone who is searching for clues to a puzzle.

That’s the toll the recent form, or lack thereof, has taken on Lakshya who was seen as a medal hope at Paris 2024 not long ago. Since beating Shi Yu Qi at the Asian Games team event – a performance that made people wonder why he wasn’t part of the individual event – Lakshya has not won a match on the BWF World Tour. It has been 7 straight first-round exits stretching back to the China Open.

VIDEO | “The start of the third game could have been much better. But credit to him (Priyanshu Rajawat), he played a solid game,” says Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen after his defeat to Priyanshu Rajawat at India Open 2024. pic.twitter.com/S4y4sEAYGd

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 16, 2024

“He is injury-free and he’s training well, but at the moment, he is low on confidence and he’s not playing the right game,” says his coach Vimal Kumar. Referring to the match against Priyanshu, the former national coach pointed out that Lakshya was not bringing in the variations in pace at the right time, and that was trying to hit through in slow conditions. It is where he used to thrive, with his patience.

Lakshya started brightly against Priyanshu, showing his trademark hustle in the opening game. But was left ruing unforced errors at the start of the decider, as he started to check his shots and lost the sharpness in attack.”He needs to find the right game – when to push the pace, when to keep it going. There he was found wanting. He’s a little anxious, that’s also an issue,” Vimal adds.

No fitness issues

When looking at Lakshya’s ordinary results over the past year, it’s important to differentiate a couple of phases. At the start of the year, he was struggling health-wise after a nasal surgery that was followed by a dip in immunity. But in the more recent weeks and months, it’s been a crisis of confidence.

“All our fitness tests indicate he’s in the best shape he has been in the last couple of years,” says former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha, who has worked for a long time with Lakshya as part of OGQ. “I can’t fault his attitude and effort in training, he is a very disciplined guy. He has a very good team around him with a coach (Vimal Sir) and mentor (Prakash Sir) who have known him for so long, a full-time physio and nutritionist, a psychologist who has worked with him for a long time. What’s missing now are just the results, and that’s what is frustrating to all of us.”

#IndiaOpen2024

A dejected Lakshya Sen in the mixed zone after his defeat. Credits Priyanshu for the shot quality in the decider and rues errors he made to concede that lead. Says not in the zone to talk about Paris, still thinking about this match. https://t.co/X494jqwYXP pic.twitter.com/5XcsODVXor

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) January 16, 2024

Both Vimal and Viren point out that every athlete goes through this tough phase and are confident he’ll find a way out of it. “It’s a matter of when. He has to keep believing and keep working,” Viren adds.

The magic potion here is simple: Lakshya needs a few wins under his belt. It’s easier said than done, of course. “After his defeat here also I just said you need to find a way, you will be OK. Just because you lost some first-round matches recently, doesn’t mean you are a bad player,” Vimal says.

No new coach for now

Lakshya had worked with former national champion Anup Sridhar last year but has parted ways with him now. It is understood that Vimal will travel with him when possible while handling the daily training at his base in Bengaluru. Adding a new coach – Indian or foreign – is not on the agenda, given how close the Olympic Games are, and the best options are perhaps likely unavailable.

On the technical side of things, Vimal believes that overcoaching is not a solution. Lakshya has slid down further in the Race to Paris list after his two early exits at the start of 2024 but to qualify for the Olympics, perhaps the best solution for Lakshya right now is to not think about qualification for the Olympics.

“A lot of people saying do this and that, but as long as he stays fit, he will find a way. Tactically, yes, he needs to get better. I have told him not to think too much about Olympic Games qualification. These are the things that can drain you out. That anxiety can make you tight,” Vimal says.

“Don’t get desperate for it, especially when you are in a low phase. It’s easy for us to talk. He is going through the worst phase of his career, but let’s find a way to come out of it.”

Needs to get confidence back

Vimal also intends to make psychological sessions more regular and meaningful. Lakshya has been working with Gayathri Varthak for a few years, but the coach feels it shouldn’t be an afterthought on a day when he has already trained hard. He wants Lakshya to have dedicated sessions to work on mental conditioning.

“It has to be more regular. When he comes back from Indonesia. I am only looking at that because he has to find the confidence back, the stability. His game is to play at a faster pace, retrieve then counterpunch. But now he is only trying to play fast and when it’s not working out, he’s not prepared to stick in there without making mistakes.” Vimal says.

So now, he has to go back to his basics. Remember what worked for him not so long ago. Simplify the game. Avoid overthinking. Don’t make errors in desperation. Mission Paris is getting difficult for Lakshya with every passing defeat. But as Vimal says, “He has to help himself, he’s a good kid, he’ll find his way back.”