Lakshya Sen’s sensational protection can drop jaws and create crowd spotlight packages, a little bit like Rishabh Pant’s one-handed sixes. However on the China Masters this week, Anders Antonsen slapped a 21-18, 21-15 victory onto Sen in quarters – although early within the match, Sen pulled off his behind-the-back dazzling protection for a winner.
Nevertheless it was yet one more instance of the Indian, giving up when issues received robust. Sen is gutsy, however not gritty sufficient. He can dazzle along with his distinctive expertise – his many eye-popping photographs, the short reactions, the slowly-developing kill smash, however he’s not decided sufficient to combat the boring attritional battles.
Antonsen appears to be like consistently stressed to the informal watcher, however his resilient sport is dependable. However what introduced Sen down have been previous refrains. Virtually damaged report reels. A 5-point lapse of focus, taking the foot off the pedal from 13-11 to 13-16, which stays a thriller in his sport. The grief-giving type of thriller, not a fascinating one. 11-8 up, Sen was comfortably catching the Dane on his far forehand with neatly efficient down-the-line smashes. However all it took for Antonsen to show the tables was drawing Sen into longer rallies, which annoyed the Indian no finish.
It’s a curious case as a result of Sen will not be low on endurance. He posts a number of the greatest numbers in all metrics that mix in direction of stamina, so he’s not low on gas. He has the defensive mettle to final these rallies, he can run, he can anticipate, the sluggish courts really assist not put an excessive amount of strain on his protection and he’s a tremendously clever shuttler, one of many world’s smartest in studying his opponents. At occasions you marvel, actually, if he enjoys defensively dazzling spells an excessive amount of and unnecessarily prolongs rallies, simply because he can.
Indian badminton participant Lakshya Sen. (FILE)
However all proof factors to him getting drastically irritated when his opponent hunkers down and defends doggedly (not as spectacularly as him, however matching him on work fee), after which the persistence snaps, and Sen offers all of it away.
It occurred within the second set on Friday when Sen was a set down and trailed Antonsen 7-10. He gave it his all the things to disclaim the Dane the mid-set lead, however 7-11 was an correct microcosm of what at all times goes mistaken with Sen. The Indian was accountable for the rally alright, even when it prolonged. However Antonsen – as a result of it’s his job to oppose as opponent – received caught in, and began defending pretty brilliantly himself. Antonsen was barely clinging on, pushed to totally different locations on the courtroom demanding low retrieves one after one other. Sen lastly pinned him on the left of the courtroom, vastly out of place to achieve something that he would ship to the suitable. Think about an open objective in soccer, along with his favorite goalkeeper Ederson fully out of the body. Why then would you purpose for the suitable sideline and smash completely large?
As his father and coach, DK Sen approached him at mid-set interval, Lakshya might solely wryly smile and shake his head. An 8-10 would learn very totally different from 7-11. He had simply constructed the purpose admirably properly, so there was no downside along with his power or the mind smarts or technique. However Sen botched it so sensationally that you possibly can sense a confidence disaster from a thousand miles away. Additionally, the impetuous rush of blood – to overdo the smash, as an almighty launch as a result of Antonsen had annoyed him drastically.
Nevertheless it wasn’t the one time.
India’s Lakshya Sen in the course of the Males’s Singles Semifinal badminton match towards Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen on the 2024 Summer season Olympics, in Paris, France, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (PTI Picture/Ravi Choudhary)
Because the match careened in direction of a loss, Sen began smashing wildly lacking the strains. He beat Jonatan Christie on the Olympics and can beat Antonsen and Shi Yuqi sooner or later, however there’s one thing to be mentioned about their self-discipline in controlling the smash-kill so it doesn’t wander out of bounds.
In a distinct sport, however Indian tennis participant Karan Rastogi who sparred with Maria Sharapova on the Bollettieri academy had as soon as spoken about how the glamour queen of tennis, would place a coin on the courtroom close to the strains, and purpose 500 photographs at it, with out stopping. Simply to get the self-discipline in of hitting the identical spot. These should have been extremely unglamorous coaching periods, however they stopped elevated coronary heart charges, that see a gap, a large empty courtroom, from hashing a routine smash winner.
Indians have watched Kidambi Srikanth spray smashes with rising consternation, and the proficient Priyanshu Rajawat misses these a lot too. However when Lakshya Sen falls aside with callous smashes, you start to query the grit, as a result of he got here agonisingly near the Olympic medal, and can discover himself in these conditions once more. The 13-11 to 13-16 foot off the pedal is a deeper malaise. However the bungled smash at 7-11 has simpler options, rooted in psychological self-discipline.
Frankly, the push of blood and hyper-aggression may not even be an correct analysis, and his coaches know higher. As with Srikanth, Sen most likely will get terrified that if he doesn’t go for the strains and maintain the shuttle as distant as attainable, Antonsen may by some means retrieve it and lengthen the rally. However backing himself to have the ability to combat as soon as extra even when the opponent does attain the shuttle, is the one technique to not try the rash smash, even in a non-desperate state of affairs. Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn has struck consistency solely on acing these.
Lakshya Sen must know his protection isn’t simply dazzling, however reliable too. It’s the one technique to discover composure when he assaults.