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
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.
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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.
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“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.
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