'Reaching finals is no joke': Experts back Lakshya Sen despite All England heartbreak | EXCLUSIVE

NEW DELHI: When Lakshya Sen left for the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2026, he carried the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders. The expectations were high after his remarkable run in 2022, when he reached the final of the prestigious tournament.

The 24-year-old was well aware of the spotlight and was determined to put the disappointment of the 2022 final behind him. Match after match, round after round, he progressed steadily through the tournament, raising hopes of a historic triumph.




Then came the big moment — the final.

But the final hurdle once again proved elusive for the Indian shuttler.

Lakshya went down to Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei in straight games, 15-21, 20-22. Despite putting up a gritty fight and battling cramps and blisters, he fell just short of the title. As a result, India’s 25-year wait for a men’s singles champion at the All England continued.

India last tasted success at the tournament when Pullela Gopichand lifted the trophy in 2001. Before him, Prakash Padukone had famously won the title in 1980 after reaching the finals in 1980 and 1981.

Lakshya, who became only the second Indian player to reach two All England finals, had to settle for the runner-up finish again.



The disappointment was evident on his face after the match. He stood on the court for a few moments, looked up, and slowly walked off.

Former shuttler and now coach Parupalli Kashyap believes Lakshya possesses strong physical and mental qualities, something the young shuttler continues to demonstrate by consistently reaching the finals of major tournaments.

"Twenty or twenty-five years ago, India did not even have many players competing regularly at this level. There was a time when India was hesitant about sending badminton teams to major events because we were not competitive enough. Now we are talking about an Indian player reaching multiple finals in major tournaments. That itself is a big achievement. He is not “failing” in finals — he is reaching them consistently, and that is extremely difficult at the highest level," Kashyap told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.

"Lakshya is one of those players who understands how to perform in major events. He has a very good mindset, a strong work ethic and a great attitude towards training. All the qualities required to become a top professional are there in him. When he started playing on the international circuit from the lower levels, he always had a very steady mindset. That is something very important for a player’s growth. Lakshya himself understands what is required to become a top player," he said.

"For me, this is just the beginning for him. According to me, he has the right mindset and the right attitude to succeed," he added.

"I always judge top players by how they perform in crunch situations. Some players are naturally very good in those moments. Others have to learn how to deal with pressure. In Lakshya’s case, I have seen that he remains quite relaxed even in big situations. There is aggression in his game but also balance. That balance in mindset is very important. Some players are gifted with that ability, while others develop it over time. Lakshya seems to have that natural composure," Kashyap said.

THE 'FINAL' HURDLE

At just 24, Lakshya has already brought several laurels to the country.

His achievements include a bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in 2021, a gold medal with India at the Thomas Cup, gold and silver medals at the Commonwealth Games, and a silver medal at the Asian Games.

His junior career was equally impressive. Lakshya won a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in 2018, a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Championships, gold and bronze medals at the Asian Junior Championships, and also clinched a mixed team gold at the Youth Olympic Games.

However, the final hurdle remains an area where Lakshya will look to improve.

The Indian shuttler narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, finishing fourth after losing the bronze-medal match to Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia.

After finishing runner-up at the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2022, Lakshya once again reached the final of the German Open later that year but lost the title clash to Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

The final hurdle surfaced again when he went down in the summit clash of the 2026 All England Open.

Former India badminton player Trupti Murgunde believes Lakshya needs to step back and analyse what goes wrong in the finals despite often enjoying dominant runs through the earlier rounds of tournaments.

Murgunde, who currently serves as a coach at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru, was also part of the coaching staff when Lakshya won his World Championships bronze in Huelva in 2021.

"Definitely, anyone would feel disappointed. These are big stages and this is what players work for over many years. But this is also part and parcel of being a sportsperson. In Lakshya’s case, yes, he is still young and has a long way to go, but he has also been in the circuit for quite some time now. It’s not like he has just arrived in the last three or four years. Lakshya has been doing well since his junior days, even winning medals at the junior world level," Trupti said.

"He has also done fantastically at the Olympics, although he missed the medal there as well in the bronze medal match. So naturally, some disappointment will be there. If reaching finals but not winning them becomes a pattern, then he will have to analyse it carefully and work on it — whether it is the mental aspect or the physical aspect," Trupti, who won a bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and has five gold medals at the South Asian Games, said.

"In this particular event, I felt the physical side might have played a role in the final. Considering the way he played throughout the tournament, especially in the semi-final where he pushed himself so much, the body might not have supported him fully in the final. Mentally though, he looked good. From his body language while watching the final, he seemed confident. Sometimes the body is there but the mind isn’t, and sometimes it’s the other way around. So you cannot point to just one factor — every final needs to be analysed individually," she said.

"For Indian players, it becomes even more special because we have not had many winners there. Unlike countries like China or some other Asian nations where players reach that stage regularly, for us it is still a rare moment. So whenever an Indian reaches that stage, all eyes are on him or her. We saw that when Sindhu reached the finals as well. Naturally, that creates a different level of pressure. At the same time, when you reach the final, you know you are just one match away from the title. That feeling itself brings a different mindset. You have to stay mentally strong. These things come with experience over time. I am sure Lakshya will bounce back and do well in the coming tournaments, but sometimes opportunities are missed and that is part of sport," Trupti said.

For seasoned Indian shuttler B. Sai Praneeth, the situation is easy to relate to, having faced similar challenges several times during his own career. Praneeth understands what Lakshya must be feeling after falling short in another big final.

At the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2016, Praneeth had stunned badminton great Lee Chong Wei in the opening round of the tournament — a result that highlighted his ability to perform on the big stage.

In fact, players like Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth were once seen as India’s brightest hopes to replicate the historic achievements of Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand at the prestigious All England.

For Praneeth, simply reaching the final of a major tournament is no small feat — something he insists should never be taken lightly.

"Sometimes it also comes down to fate. If you look at Lee Chong Wei, he played three Olympic finals but never won a gold medal, and he reached five World Championship finals without winning the title. That doesn’t mean there was something wrong with his preparation. Everyone gives their best at that level. Even in Lakshya’s finals, he played really well. Maybe it was just not his day or perhaps he was a little tired," Praneeth told TimesofIndia.com.

"Playing two All England finals is definitely not a joke. He had good chances to win both times, but maybe luck did not favour him. Still, I feel he can win the All England soon, and even at the World Championships he has played very well. I have been watching him since his childhood, and even back then many people believed that he could become one of the top players in the future. The way he has transformed his game and the way he is performing now is really impressive. Physically he is very strong and mentally he is extremely strong as well, which is a very important factor in badminton. In tournaments like the All England, mental strength matters a lot. If you look at the semifinal he played, it was one of the best matches. He won that mainly because of his mental toughness. Overall, he is playing really, really well," he said.

"For any athlete, winning major events is a dream, and Lakshya performs particularly well in big tournaments. From what I know, his preparation is very solid. He is mentally very strong and confident. If he plays at his best, he can beat anyone in the world," Praneeth said.