For most of 2025, Lakshya Sen was trying to put the jagged pieces of the puzzle in place. There were times when he was lacking physically, others when he struggled mentally. Heartbreak at the Paris Olympics seemed to be the epicentre of the crisis. It finally dawned on Sen that he had to take the time to heal. The prodigy had to learn about patience.
“At some point, I had to really sit back and think that okay, if it takes me another 10 tournaments, another 20 tournaments, I am ready to do that,” Sen told select media last week. “I took a step back from that and just started enjoying the training, enjoying the process again.”
The subtle mental shift saw him close out a difficult year on a high. On 23 November, the 24-year-old defeated Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-15, 21-11 to win the Australian Open, a Super 500 tournament. While the final had turned out to be a 38-minute canter, Sen had been through the wringer in the semi-final. Against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, he fought back from a game down and survived three match points to win 17-21, 24-22, 21-16 in 85 minutes.
It was the kind of match on which Sen’s star is built. His mighty defence kicked in during the second game, as the Indian dived heroically to keep points alive, and the fight going. In a nod to new-found attacking nuance, under coach Yoo Yong-sung’s guidance, Sen also bested Tien Chen in deft net exchanges on clutch points. Once he could keep up the physical intensity, the Indian grew in confidence.
After winning the title, his first since the Syed Modi International tournament in 2024, Sen stood still on the court, eyes shut, digging his fingers in his ears.
“When I was not doing well, there were a lot of doubts that were there in my mind,” said Sen. “And a lot of people had different opinions about training, about tournaments, about playing. I respect those as well. But for me, it was important to just block everything and believe in myself. That okay, if it’s going to take time to start winning again, it will take time.”
It was a tough learning curve for a player who has quickly risen through the ranks since he burst on to the international stage at the age of 13. A former junior World No 1, the Indian has captured medals at every major tournament—Asian Games, Thomas Cup and World Championships—except the Olympics.
Sen admitted that after the post-Olympic blues had set in after Paris, he struggled “to find motivation again to train really hard.” Last year in Paris, he had become the first Indian man to reach the semi-final at the Olympics. After Viktor Axelsen ended his inspired run, Sen fell agonisingly short of a bronze as he lost 21-13, 16-21, 11-21 to Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia.
He started 2025 with two straight first-round exits and by June, had won only three out of the 12 matches he played. Sen, who reached a career-high ranking of World No.6 in November 2022, had dropped out of the top 20 in July. When rushing into competition did not help him recover, the Indian sought professional help and started working with mental coach Mon Brokman.
“After Paris, I was like in really good shape, in a good place to win a lot of things but again, I didn’t do that and I was feeling a lot of pressure. A lot of pressure or the burden of the last few losses,” he said.
“When I started working with the mental trainer again, I think it was important that I find that motivation again. I am now focussing on doing the basic things right and enjoying the game, not thinking too much about the past results or what will happen in the future, what will happen in the next.”
Along with the mental reset, Sen has also worked on building himself back for the physical demands of the sport. While he tried to play through niggles and back spasms earlier in the year, the badminton star, whose game rests on his physicality, took time off the tour to regain fitness.
“It was not a major injury, but I was getting some back spasms because of high match intensity or the load on the back,” he said.
“It took some time to get to know what’s the reason for that. I spent some time in hospitals. I also went to Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg. I showed them all the reports and there was clinically nothing major, but again, it was more to do with a lot of back strengthening and core strengthening around it. That took me some time to get really strong. It took me two, three months of good rehab and good strength program to come back from that injury. A few changes in training with a smart load management helped me get through.”
Having put in the work, Sen saw an uptick in performance. He reached the final of the Hong Kong Open in September, but went down in straight games to Li Shi Feng of China. Making steady progress in the last three tournaments of the year, he reached the quarterfinal of the Hylo Open, semi-final of the Japan Masters and ended with a title run in Sydney.
One of Sen’s targets in 2025 was breaking back into the top 10 in world rankings. And the Indian is already knocking on the door, having risen to No.11 following his Australian Open triumph. It is not just a good place to finish a difficult year, but also a fine place to start a packed new season.
Deepti Patwardhan is a sportswriter based in Mumbai.