Swiss Open 2022: Prakash Padukone- Lakshya Sen: India’s rising superstar Lakshya Sen might have lost the All England Final but won the heart of his former coach & India badminton legend Prakash Padukone. He feels that Lakshya Sen reaching the Finals of the German Open & All England Open is no flash in the pan but years of hard work & dedication. Follow Swiss Open live updates on InsideSport.IN
Swiss Open Badminton LIVE: Prakash Padukone super impressed with Lakshya Sen after German Open & All England Finals- check out
“The recent leg of European tournaments has been very successful for Lakshya as he has beaten some of the players ranked within the top 5 in the world. This shows that his bronze medal victory at the World Championships a few months ago was not just a flash in the pan. Over the past six months, he has been one of the most consistent performers since the international circuit resumed,” Prakash Padukone told The Times of India.
He further called him a mentally strong player to be able to overcome big players at just 20 years of age.
“He is hardworking, focused, disciplined, dedicated, grounded and most importantly mentally very strong even while playing against players ranked higher. He has shown this quality in abundance especially in the last two tournaments that he has played,” Padukone added.
Prakash Padukone pointed out the excellent performance of Lakshya Sen in the last six months. Lakshya Sen was spotted at the age of 10 and nurtured at Prakash Padukone Academy.
Padukone feels that Lakshya Sen has announced his arrival on the world stage in the true sense of the term. He has gone from strength to strength after making headlines at the 2021 German Open and World Championships. He finally broke the title jinx by winning the Indian Open final against Loh K.
“He has truly announced his arrival on the world stage, but the greater challenge for him begins now. From my own experience, I can say with conviction that reaching the highest level is difficult, but the bigger challenge is staying at that level as it requires a lot more effort and mental strength. However, as of now Lakshya has all the qualities required to remain a medal contender for the next few years,” he concluded.
Indian Open 2022 champion Lakshya Sen lost to World No.1 Viktor Axelsen in German Open (SFs) rematch at All England Final. Earlier, an injury scare played spoilsport in his pursuit of year’s second BWF title in the German Open Finals against Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Lakshya Sen will next be in action against counterpart Sameer Verma in the opening round. He is likely to meet Axelsen once again if the duo makes it to the semifinals of the Swiss Open Badminton 2022.
Swiss Open Badminton LIVE: Prakash Padukone super impressed with Lakshya Sen after German Open & All England Finals- check out
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