NEW DELHI: Lakshya Sen admits the physical demands of modern men’s singles are forcing him to rethink recovery and preparation, even as the Indian badminton ace continues to feel “a little bit disheartened” after falling short in his second All England final.
Lakshya battled through a series of long matches during a taxing week in Birmingham before finishing runner-up to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-yi.
“It’s been a good week overall, but also an emotional week. Getting into finals for the second time and not winning, it feels a bit disheartened after the match. But overall, if I look back at the tournament, some good wins, a good run and the way I played, I think something to look forward to in the coming tournaments,” the 24-year-old told reporters on Tuesday.
Lakshya had spent more than five hours on court during the week, including a gruelling semifinal in which he battled severe cramps, before going down narrowly in the final.
The experience, he said, reinforced the importance of balancing tournament schedules with recovery and structured training blocks.
“It has been very physical in the matches and tournaments and
Tactically also, I feel I can get better in my overall game. I try to do that in training and play a certain game style that suits me – Lakshya Sen
also with the age, I mean, I’m not 20 anymore to recover as fast as I am,” Lakshya said.
“I’m not saying I’m old. I mean, there are changes that you make in terms of your preparations, your recovery towards the next matches and especially the diet. When I was 21-22, I would not gain any weight if I eat everything. But now there’s a slight difference where I have to be conscious about the diet a bit more.
“And also with the recovery, a lot of the things I have to manage. Tactically also, I feel I can get better in my overall game, I try to do that in training and play a certain game style that suits me.”
The shuttler from Almora said managing workload has also become crucial as the calendar grows increasingly demanding.
“I’ve had also some shoulder injuries that took some toll on the shoulder where I was playing the attacking shots better in the last few years. But yeah, over time, you are cautious about how much you can push, how many matches you can play and then you have to give it rest,” he said.