‘Disheartened’ Lakshya down, but not out

New Delhi: Lakshya Sen admits the physical demands of modern men’s singles are forcing him to rethink recovery and preparation, even as the Indian badminton ace continues to feel “a little bit disheartened” after falling short in his second All England final.

Lakshya battled through a series of long matches during a taxing week in Birmingham before finishing runner-up to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-yi.

“It’s been a good week overall, but also an emotional week. Getting into finals for the second time and not winning, it feels a bit disheartened after the match. But overall, if I look back at the tournament, some good wins, a good run and the way I played, I think something to look forward to in the coming tournaments,” the 24-year-old told reporters on Tuesday.

Lakshya had spent more than five hours on court during the week, including a gruelling semifinal in which he battled severe cramps, before going down narrowly in the final.

The experience, he said, reinforced the importance of balancing tournament schedules with recovery and structured training blocks. “It has been very physical in the matches and tournaments and also with the age, I mean, I’m not 20 anymore to recover as fast as I am,” Lakshya said. He said managing workload has also become crucial.