Lakshya Sen returned home victorious from the Super 500 Australian Open and one of the first things he did was check the engraving on his winners medal. “I got the right medal for men’s singles. Maybe they had extra men’s singles medals, and everyone was men’s singles winner,” Sen joked, talking to the media on arrival.
The confusion had begun when Malaysian world champion and winner at Australia Chen Tang Jie posted a picture on his socials with a glum frownie, asking Sen to check his medal, because the Malaysian had ended up with one that had ‘men’s singles’ inscribed on it.
Sen told the media about all things from developing a sublime mindset under Israeli mental trainer Mon Brockman (who had worked with HS Prannoy earlier) in Bangalore, to his ridiculously brilliant diving defensive retrieves – a habit he wants to get rid of – to improve longevity of his career.
Excerpts:
On whether he trains specifically for the diving saves that look dazzling, and bouncing back on his feet.
‘I actually train to avoid diving! I’ve been working on footwork and moving with the right step forward and sideways to play returns on my foot (and not scrambling on fours). Diving comes naturally to me. But if I have to have a long career, I can’t be doing those things at 30. There’s a lot of chance of injuries. When playing if the shuttle goes past you, you need to put in the dive and take it. But I train to avoid it.’
On his celebration gesture of blocking out noise.
‘There were a lot of doubts when I wasn’t playing well. And a lot of people had a lot of different opinions about my training. I respect those as well. But it was important to block everything. I told myself it will take time to win titles again. It was important to block doubts where you go either into past or future, and enjoy the process and do what’s important.’
Lakshya Sen in action. (Badminton photo)
On coach Yoo Yong Song’s contribution to his technical / tactical changes.
Story continues below this ad
‘He told me after 3-4 years on the international circuit, people start reading your game. We’ve worked technically on bringing in more variations at the net and from back of the court. Like holding the shot a little at the net. I was not too worried about tech-tacs because skill doesn’t go away. It was about staying fit. We put together a plan for whole week, and set goals for next 2-3 tournaments. We also finetuned tactics for times when I was missing a few points in closing out games.’
On mental trainer Mon Brockman’s inputs.
‘Because I didn’t compete in lot of tournaments post-Paris mentally I had to let all those thoughts to go and being enjoying sport again. Injuries had kept me away, but I had to find motivation post Olympics. I took a break, results were also not that great. The mental trainer helped me to not think about past competitions and find motivation.’
On change in his mindset.
‘At some point I started feeling I had been in good shape at the Olympics (but couldn’t nail the medal), and was feeling a lot of burden of past losses. Finally I decided to sit back and think that if it takes 10 tournaments or 20 to get back to winning, it’s fine. I took that step back (from desperation of needing to win every week).’
On his patched-up back.
‘There’s a few niggles here and there in the back since Singapore and Indonesia (in June). I suffered back spasms due to high match intensity and needed good strength sessions and smart workload management. I also spent time in hospitals. Clinically nothing major, but need to care for the back.’
On what the comeback looked like.
Story continues below this ad
‘In the beginning of 2025 I struggled with injuries. By mid-year I felt fully fit and had a good training period before World Championships. I ficussed on physical aspects playing lot of tournaments. I worked every day to be fit from injuries. The ranking dropped and I wanted to be back in Top 10. I got the Korean coach ahead of All England and mental trainer around April. At Salzburg (Red Bull centre), I got good feedback on S&C and recovery.’
Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.
Professional Profile
Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express.
Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.
Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.
Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)
Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:
Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.
PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.
The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.
Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.
Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes.
Notable Recent Articles
BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)
The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)
Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)
Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)
Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)
Other Sports Interests
Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.
You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More
Lakshya Sen in action. (Badminton photo)
