CHENNAI: It has been a slow burner, but Lakshya Sen's Kaizen method, which he adopted with the support of mental performance trainer Mon Brokman and other coaches, last year, has gradually been bearing fruit. In the cutthroat world of elite sport that demands instant results, he had initially endured a rocky road — injuries had also affected his run — and in the process, he was under immense pressure but he stuck to his guns. He had taken up the conscious choice after a decline in motivation levels following the 2024 Paris Olympics heartbreak, where he had missed out on a medal by a whisker.
Small things in every aspect of his training regime (both mental and physical) had taken importance and the results didn't dictate the manner in which he trained. He clearly had a bigger picture in mind.
"At some point (difficult run), I had to really sit back and think 'that's okay, if it takes me another 10 tournaments, another 20 tournaments, I'm ready to do that. I'm not going to hurry so much into fighting it all out'. I think I took a step back from that and just like started enjoying the training, enjoying the process again," he had said after ending his title-drought at the Australian Open last year.
For a proven player like Lakshya, it was a matter of time. It's still early days into the new season and Lakshya has been operating with more belief for a good number of weeks now. The last week, especially, was him at his very best. A monstrous performance at the prestigious All England Open saw him outgunning some big-hitters of the sport including World No 1 Shi Yu Qi. Heck, he was even battered and bruised (visibly limping) in the process, but his spirit remained intact, giving him that necessary push to pull off noteworthy wins before he eventually finished second.
Given what was at stake during the final, the shuttler from Almora is obviously disappointed to have missed out on the trophy, something that would have put him alongside the legends of the game. As he reflected on his performance, he yet again alluded to his methods that had helped him come to the fore in Birmingham.
"I was just taking it one match at a time and not thinking too far ahead, especially after learning about the draw. Overall, I was prepared for a tough match. Keeping in mind my recent performances, which have been good... from the Australia Open, even during the India Open I was in a good shape and playing very well. Given all that, I was confident of doing very well in the tournament," Lakshya, in an interaction facilitated by the Badminton Association of India, said.
"I had to prepare differently for each opponent. Happy with the wins and it gave me a good momentum to go deep into the tournament," he added.
Apart from Shi, the Indian beat NG Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong, Li Shi Feng of China and Victor Lai of Canada. In the final, Lin Chun-yi had denied him what would have been a life-altering victory
After a horror run at the start of 2025, Lakshya had signs of improvement towards the end of that season. The small details in relation to his training (both physical and mental) had helped him build up to last week's epic run.
"The last few months I have been in good form. The training, which I did last year, and this year that I'm doing, physically I feel I'm in a better shape than before. In terms of skill, I have to continue to get sharper and I have got enough matches now and the flow has been good in the last few months. I think a combination of everything has come together. I have focussed on just taking care of my body and getting fitter everyday and just getting sharp when the tournament comes," Lakshya noted.
This is just the beginning for Lakshya as he has ambitions to win major titles in the upcoming months. "I hope to sit with my team and analyse a bit deeper, find out how the training programme was before and the last few months. I hope to become more sharper, especially on court and how to stay fit throughout the season as there are a lot of major events coming up. I'm just trying to find good training weeks and also try and give my body time to recover because the last few months/week has been taxing. I just want to keep on building to peak at the Asian Championships and the World Championships."