Lakshya awaits medical clearance ahead of Thailand Open return

Star shuttler Lakshya Sen, who picked an elbow injury during the Thomas Cup Finals, where the Indian team finished with a bronze, said his participation at the upcoming Thailand Open, scheduled from May 12 to 17, will depend on medical advice after undergoing scans.

The injury occurred during his quarterfinal match against Chou Tien-chen. Despite the setback, Sen continued playing and contributed to India winning a bronze medal. However, he is now being careful about his recovery.

Advertisement

“I’m supposed to play the Thailand Open next week, but again, I’m still waiting for the confirmation from the doctor, as I’ve taken the MRI scans now. So just waiting for his opinion on that, and then we’ll get a clearer idea of the tournament,” said Sen said at a virtual press conference facilitated by the Sports Authority of India.

Sen, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, explained that he did not immediately realise how serious the injury was during the match.

“The injury happened in the first set of the match against Chou Tien-chen. I couldn’t realise it at that time. It hurt for the next 2-3 points when I dived. But after that, I completely forgot, and the adrenaline was so high that I couldn’t focus on that,” he said.

He added that his coach noticed the issue but did not alert him at the time to avoid distracting him. “Immediately after the match, when I went back, I saw my elbow was swollen. The coach told me that he saw the elbow in the match, but he didn’t tell me that it’s looking pretty bad because I was not complaining about it then,” he recalled.

“Once I came back, and when the body cooled down a bit, it started hurting a little bit. There was some redness around the swelling as well. It didn’t look very good to me and also the physios,” he said.

Doctors later warned him about the risks of continuing to play. “They said it is looking quite bad, and I don’t think you will be able to play your 100 per cent. Maybe if you still want to play, you will be around 60-70 per cent. But there are chances that it can get worse because we don’t know what has happened inside right now, because the swelling is too much,” Lakshya added.

His absence in the semifinal was a setback for India, who eventually settled for bronze. Sen said the decision to stop playing was taken after discussions with the medical team. “With the physios and the doctor, it was a collective decision. I tried until the very end to try and play the match, but it was not possible,” he concluded.