Badminton News: After helping India win a historic first Thomas Cup title and then claim gold at the Commonwealth Games last year, Lakshya Sen has mysteriously fallen into disrepair.
The Indian ace has failed to make it past the first round in three of the last four clashes this year. The crisis continued during the 2023 season, with several early exits, until May.
But then there was a turnaround, as Lakshya Sen beat Wang Tzu Wei and Li Shi Feng en route to the 2023 Thailand Open semi-finals. Two weeks later at the Indonesia Open , he defeated Lee Zii Jia before losing to Kidambi. Srikanth in a contested match with Good.
What explains the form of declension? Lakshya Sen… down but not out. It was as if Sen was minimizing what he had been through.
The soft-spoken Indian player, currently ranked 18th in the world, has revealed he underwent rhinoplasty for a deviated septum after the world championships last August, which often causes illnesses and allergies.
Recovery is expected to take three months; instead, it took him more than eight months to get back on track.
Surgery was needed because a deviated septum nearly blocked her right nasal passage, with her air intake at around 20% of normal. The surgery involves cutting part of the bone that blocks the air inlet and correcting the shape of the nose.
“I had surgery for a deviated septum; it causes a lot of allergies and stomach aches. Basically, immunity drops for a while. And then it took a long time with the treatment, maybe another three months, to come back,” Lakshya Sen said.
“The recovery isn’t great. Every time I train, I injure myself or get sick. Then I had to take a step back, because for the first two months I had no idea it could be that bad. I made a lot of changes in my diet, and also in the training load. Now I’m really looking forward to playing all these tournaments with a good level of fitness.”
Although the operation compromised his immunity, Sen said it was necessary to prevent future problems, in addition to allowing more air to enter through his nose.
“I think the surgery is necessary because it could cause serious problems in the years to come and I want to qualify for the Olympics with a free mind,” Sen said.
“I planned it, but I’m not ready. for the side effect. The side effect is not due to the medicine, but because my nose has become very sensitive. With (reduced) immunity, with every change of water or weather, I get sick or have a stomach ache,” he said.
Considering the air intake has improved a lot now, how does it feel on the pitch?
“I adapted to mouth breathing from an early age. Sometimes I have trouble breathing when I have a stuffy nose… nose breathing is so much better. We still have to wait and see. For two or three months, I feel better. I’ve also made some changes to training, building core strength…I’ll be back,” concluded the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion.
Article tags: Lakshya Sen, India
