

India's badminton prodigy Lakshya Sen was in the doldrums after Olympics heartbreak. Here's how he came back to win
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For most of 2025, Lakshya Sen was trying to put the jagged pieces of the puzzle in place. There were times when he was lacking physically, others when he struggled mentally.
Heartbreak at the Paris Olympics seemed to be the epicentre of the crisis. It finally dawned on Sen that he had to take the time to heal. The prodigy had to learn about patience.
“At some point, I had to really sit back and think that okay, if it takes me another 10 tournaments, another 20 tournaments, I am ready to do that," Sen told select media last week. “I took a step back from that and just started enjoying the training, enjoying the process again." The subtle mental shift saw him close out a difficult year on a high. On 23 November, the 24-year-old defeated Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-15, 21-11 to win the Australian Open, a Super 500 tournament.
While the final had turned out to be a 38-minute canter, Sen had been through the wringer in the semi-final. Against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, he fought back from a game down and survived three match points to win 17-21, 24-22, 21-16 in 85 minutes. It was the kind of match on which Sen’s star is built.
His mighty defence kicked in during the second game, as the Indian dived heroically to keep points alive, and the fight going. In a nod to new-found attacking nuance, under coach Yoo Yong-sung’s guidance, Sen also bested Tien Chen in deft net exchanges on clutch points. Once he could keep up the physical intensity, the Indian grew in confidence.
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