Mumbai: For Lakshya Sen, winning titles matters more than climbing the world rankings. Having endured a frustrating season of injuries, inconsistent performances and early tournament exits, the Indian badminton star believes his second Hylo Open triumph is proof that patience, smart workload management and faith in his game can eventually deliver results.
"Anyone among the top 15, 20 or 30 players can beat anyone on a given day. Winning tournaments is my priority," Sen said during a media interaction following his title-winning performance.
The victory came as a welcome boost for Sen, who had struggled to maintain consistency despite beginning the season strongly with a runner-up finish at the All England Championships.
"It was a good performance at the All England, playing the final, and I was in really good shape. But two to three months later, there were some niggles and injury issues which kept me away from the court," he said.
Injuries Force Changes In Training Approach
The setbacks forced Sen to rethink his approach towards training and competition. Rather than making sweeping technical changes, he concentrated on managing his workload and regaining the match fitness that injuries had disrupted.
"Managing injuries was a challenge over the last three to four months. I tried a few different things in training, particularly with managing the load," he said.
Sen believes playing competitive matches regularly proved more beneficial than experimenting with his training routine.
"Playing more matches really helped me get my match fitness back. Playing five matches in a week helped me perform well in the semi-final and final," he explained.
Hylo Open Victory Marks Strong Comeback
His progress was evident at the Hylo Open, where he survived difficult early-round encounters before producing straight-game victories over Popov and Jonatan Christie in the semi-final and final, respectively.
Sen admitted he was initially rusty after skipping the French Open because of shoulder pain but grew increasingly comfortable as the tournament progressed.
"The first one or two rounds, I was still a bit rusty. As the week went on, the touch and feel definitely got better," he said.
Patience Proves Crucial Against Jonatan Christie
Against Christie, the Indian relied on patience rather than an all-out attacking approach. Despite establishing an early advantage, Sen faced resistance as his opponent fought back towards the end of the opening game.
"My coach was telling me to stay patient in the rally because not a lot of errors were coming from his side. I had to wait for the right chances to hit," Sen said.
He also focused on controlling exchanges at the net and denying Christie opportunities to unleash his attacking strokes.
Sen Maintains Confidence Despite Injury Setbacks
While the season's inconsistent results raised questions about his confidence, Sen insisted that his belief in his abilities had never disappeared.
"The confidence has always been there since the Australian Open. Due to certain niggles here and there, I couldn't really perform to my level best," he said.
Sen, who also withdrew from the French Open following shoulder discomfort after the Denmark Open, stressed that listening to his body was essential to sustaining performances.
"If it's not ready, it's not ready. I just have to stay patient for the body to be 100% fit and then compete again," he said.
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Focus Shifts To Upcoming Tournaments
With the Japan Masters and Hong Kong Open next on his schedule, Sen hopes to maintain his momentum while keeping the World Tour Finals in mind.
"I want to win the titles. I want to win the biggest competitions. But I also want to stay fit, stay healthy and keep competing," he said.
For Sen, the immediate challenge is to turn his renewed confidence into sustained success without compromising his fitness.
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