Lakshya Sen Working Hard On His Game Before Paris Olympics

Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen said that he has worked on his net game and his recent trait of scoring points late in the game as he prepares for the Paris Olympics. The world number 19 was drawn in Group-L alongside Indonesian rival Jonatan Christie, Tokyo Olympics fourth-placed Kevin Cordon, and Belgium’s Julien Karagi.

“I am very focused on improving the overall game and have had a good time over the last 6-7 weeks where I have been able to really work on all areas of the game. From defense to attack and overall, I tried to get better at everything, and at the same time, I worked a lot on the areas, where I wasn’t really good and could give extra time in the net game, as well as defense and finishing phases,” he said.

“It’s important to be sharp and aggressive. For the last few days, I was trying to get good match practice, played short games, and also had a good match practice session so that I am sharp by the end of the game. I am currently in Marseille, and I will train here for the next two-three days, and then on July 22 afternoon, I will go to the village. It is a three-hour drive from here to Paris,” he added.

He said he would try to learn from his tough encounters with Christie. “The last two or three times we played, it was very close. I will look at those matches as well, maybe some things about what I can do better than last time, and focus on my strength, how I can control the game, and how I can play my best.”

Getting excited for the Olympics, he said, “This is the biggest tournament of my life, and the competition here is very tough. Everyone tries to bring their A-game, and yes, I am preparing the same way. Much better.” Sen said he is not thinking too much about the possibility of facing compatriot HS Prannoy in the pre-quarters. “We saw the draw. It’s a potential pre-quarterfinal, but there’s a lot of work to do before that. I’m focused to be on the top of the group right now, and then we’ll see what happens.”