Staying injury-free is Sen’s big challenge: Coach Vimal on Lakshya

Canada Open winner Lakshya Sen after his win over Li Shi Feng of China in Calgary on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Former India badminton coach U Vimal Kumar wants his ward Lakshya Sen, 21, to stay fresh and injury-free after winning the Canada Open on Sunday. Sen defeated reigning All England champion Li Shi Feng of China 21-18, 22-20 in the final at Calgary, Canada.

The Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) coach says it is going to be tough for Sen what with a chock-a-block schedule - US Open (July 11-16) from Wednesday, Korea Open (July 18-23), Japan Open (July 25-30) and the Australian Open (August 1-6).

Former India coach U Vimal Kumar

Strength conditioning is now a priority as he has suffered a lot after septoplasty (surgery to fix a deviated septum) and issues with his knee and back after the World Championships last August.

Also Read: Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu eye glory at US Open Super 300 event

"We were trying to strike a balance between what he was doing in the gym, court, and other things. To keep him injury-free, the team [coach Anup Sridhar and Deckline Leitao, sports and exercise science specialist] are trying hard to ensure badminton and on-court training sessions are secondary and the focus is more on strength and conditioning. If you keep him fresh and pain-free, he has the ability to deliver," Vimal Kumar told mid-day on Tuesday.

Talking about Sen's grind, Vimal Kumar said: "The win in Canada is creditable. But it [job] is not finished. I told him yesterday that you have another 20 matches to go. He has four back-to-back tournaments. Also, no match or player [in the Top 30] is going to be easy. It is important for him to listen to his body. I told him to focus on giving his best. The most important thing for him right now is to concentrate on recovery, sleep and eat healthy," he signed off.