New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Fresh from his title-winning run at the Hylo Open, ace Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen is looking to carry his momentum into the upcoming tournaments as he targets a strong finish to the season, with the BWF World Tour Finals firmly in his sights.
Sen said the victory had provided a timely confidence boost after a challenging few months marked by injury concerns and a demanding travel schedule.
“I’m happy with the way I played in Hylo. Winning a tournament after the Australian Open feels really good, and I want to carry this momentum forward,” Sen, who rose eight places to reach the top 10 at the BWF World Tour Rankings, told reporters.
The 2021 World Championships bronze medallist has to finish inside the top 8 to qualify for
the season-ending BWF event.
“We have another two to three weeks of tournaments coming up, followed by a relatively lighter schedule. I’m keeping the World Tour Finals in mind. I feel the next two tournaments are important as I look to finish the year strongly. So I’m happy to be home for a few days before heading to Japan and Hong Kong.”
The 25-year-old from Almora, who reached the final of the All England Championships earlier this season, admitted that recurring niggles had affected his consistency over the last few months. However, he said there were no major injury concerns at present and that he was being more cautious about managing his workload.
“It was a good performance at the All England as well. I reached the final and was in good shape. However, over the next two to three months, I started experiencing a few niggles and injury issues that kept me from performing at my best, although nothing major kept me out of any big events.
“Playing the World Championships in India and the Asian Games was a great experience. Obviously, the performances didn’t go as planned, but I was ready and out there fighting. As an athlete, you want to win every tournament, so I’m happy that things came together last week.”
On managing injuries and regaining match fitness, Sen said constant travelling had left him with limited opportunities to experiment with his game in training.
“I’ve been travelling constantly, so there hasn’t been enough time to experiment with new things in training. I tried to work on certain aspects of my game during the tournaments I played, but managing injuries was a bit of a challenge over the last three to four months.
“I tried a few different things to manage the workload. In the two to three months leading up to the Asian Games, I was preparing well and focusing on playing as many matches as possible. Those matches helped me regain my match fitness. At certain events, like the World Championships, I felt I was lacking match practice.
“Since then, I’ve played quite a lot of matches. Even last week, I played five matches, which helped me perform well in the semifinals and final. The last three matches were particularly tough, but I kept getting a better feel for the court as the tournament progressed. Playing more matches definitely helped.”
Sen also admitted to being a little rusty at the start of the Hylo Open after skipping the French Open due to shoulder pain sustained at the Denmark Open, but said he gradually found his rhythm as the tournament progressed.
“Since I had skipped the French Open due to shoulder pain, I was a little rusty during the first few matches at Hylo. It can be difficult initially, but as the tournament progressed, I became more familiar with the court and the playing conditions.
“The opponents were also top-15 players, so you don’t want to have a slow start against players like Popov or Christie. As the week went on, my touch and feel for the court improved, and I started getting more comfortable.”
With a packed international calendar making consistency difficult, Sen said staying fit and enjoying his game would remain his priorities as he looks to sustain his recent momentum.
“My main target is to stay fit and healthy and continue competing in tournaments. Of course, I want to win titles and compete for the biggest honours, but I also understand how challenging it is to perform consistently every week.
“I want to continue this momentum, stay healthy and enjoy my routine, both on and off the court.” PTI ATK TAP
