On Friday, one of India’s top men’s shuttlers, and a World Championships bronze medalist from 2021, Lakshya Sen lost in the quarters of the National Badminton Championships. The top seed of the tournament, Lakshya, went down against little-known Bharat Raghav 15-21, 21-10, 17-21, who is ranked 193rd in the world and is yet to step into the senior circuit.
This loss, and Lakshya’s performances in the entire 2023, have been worrying for India, as he is one of the prime contenders for the country at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He has consistently failed to deliver, with his rankings slipping out of top 10, a few months earlier.
Lakshya Sen in 2023
Lakshya is going through the worst possible patch in his career at the moment. After showing what he is capable of in 2021, and 2022, he has slipped in not only in rankings and performance but in confidence as well. He exited 11 tournaments in the first round itself, in 2023. Whereas, he could make it to the round of 16, on five occasions. The only title win he has this year, came at the Canada Open, back in July.
Although he has had a fair share of struggle in the year with injuries, and illnesses, this loss at the National Badminton Championship, could only further harm his confidence. Mind you, Lakshya, WR-16 currently, still has not sealed his spot for Paris Olympics, and a few more poor performances in 2024, can keep him out of the Paris Olympics.
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