New Delhi, March 10 Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen said he focused on taking "one match at a time" during his campaign at the All England Open Badminton Championships, adding that a psychological discipline allowed him to navigate a demanding draw without the added weight of external expectations.
Lakshya, who became only the second Indian player to reach two All England finals, returned with a silver medal after the 24-year-old went down in the men’s singles final 21-15, 22-20 against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi in the summit clash.
Lakshya’s mentor, Prakash Padukone, had reached the All England final in 1980 and 1981 and won the title in his first appearance in the summit clash.
Speaking about whether carrying the hopes of the nation alone ever affects a player's performance or adds extra pressure in such big tournaments, Lakshya said he maintained a simplified perspective.
"I was focusing on one match at a time. I wasn’t thinking about the draw or who I might face next. Whenever I stepped on the court, my only focus was on my match," Lakshya said at a virtual press conference.
The 24-year-old shuttler also opened up about the mental shift from the breakthrough run at the 2022 edition, where he reached the final of the prestigious tournament for the first time, saying while he played freely without expectations in 2022, he felt much better prepared this time to deal with the pressure of big matches.
"When I played the final at All England in 2022, I was enjoying the moment and playing without expectations. But this time, when I reached the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final, I was better prepared in terms of how to handle and play such pressure matches. This time, I had the belief that I could win, but in 2022, it was a bit different, as I was just trying to see how far I could go," the Paris Olympic semifinalist said.
Reflecting on his loss against Chun-Yi in the summit clash, Lakshya admitted that semifinal encounter against Victor Lai, which lasted for one hour and 37 minutes, took a toll on his body and it made difficult for him to be at his absolute best in the final.
"The semifinal I played took a toll on my body, especially since I was cramping during the match. I did everything I could to recover and come back strong for the final. The cramping in the semifinal made it difficult to get back to his 100 per cent the next day. During and after the match, my muscles were under a lot of fatigue," he added.
While summing up his entire campaign, Laksya said, "It has been a good week overall, but also an emotional one. I made it to the finals but didn’t manage to win the match, so I’m a little disheartened. However, when I look back at the tournament and the way I played throughout the matches, there are many positives that I can take into the upcoming tournaments. The confidence this tournament has given me will definitely help me in the future."
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