After Viktor Axelsen defeated Lakshya Sen in the semifinals of the men's singles in the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Danish ace predicted that the future is brighter for the Indian shutter who was once the top junior player in the world.
“He has shown in this Olympics that he is a very, very strong competitor and I am sure in four years from now, he will be one of the favorites to win the gold. An amazing talent and a great guy and I wish him all the best,” Axelsen said. “I think the experience made a difference today. I think Lakshya, he played better than I did in big parts of the game. So he could have won the match,” the defending Olympic champion added.
Viktor Axelsen beat Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the finals, joining China's Lin Dan as the only top badminton players to win gold in back-to-back Olympics. Will Axelsen attempt for the third in 2028? Will his prediction come true?
China, Indonesia, and South Korea dominated badminton in the past Olympics, winning 37 out of the 44 gold medals being contested. India, on the other hand, has only 3 Olympic medals to show. And the women did it. (Pusaria Venkata Sindhu won two medals during the 2016 Rio Olympics.) Lakshya Sen can change the order.
The 2022 Thomas Cup, or the World Men's Team Championship, was held in Bangkok, Thailand. India won this prestigious event for the first time, The result surprised tennis fans, as China, which won a record 10 Thomas Cup titles, were eliminated by archrival Indonesia in the quarterfinals while India knocked out the fancied Danish team in the semifinals. Sen won the gold medal in the men's singles in the 2022 Commonwealth Games later that year. Prior to this breakthrough year, Sen saw his ranking rose after beating top-ranked shutters frequently.
"It's a dream come true, and I feel happy with the way I played today. I was not putting pressure on myself - I always took one match at a time - but I did have that belief that I could go all of the way," Sen said after winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal match against Ng Tze Yong of Malaysia.
It also helped that the camaraderie in India's men's badminton team was high and well. It helped this promising shutter.
"We have a great camaraderie between the team. It was a mix of good seniors and a really young team. Also we keep traveling for tournaments throughout the year so we spend a lot of time together as a team. It was a matter of all coming together at the team event and bonding. Everyone was there for each other, that really made a difference."
Sen, who hails from Uttarakhand, may have lost the bronze-medal match to Malaysia's Lee Zi Jia, but he believes that he's on the right path. No one was surprised about his career goals.
"My biggest career goal is to play top-level badminton for the next 8-10 years. And I want to win a lot more tournaments in the future."
The 2028 Summer Olympics is too far, but many badminton betting fans couldn't help but wonder if Sen's rise would change the order in men's badminton. There's no doubt about it.
Sen is 22 years of age, so it would take a year or two before he could give the likes of Axelsen a run for their money. For veterans (like Axelsen), the next few years would be very interesting, if not challenging. The Dane will be 34 years of age in 2028, which is not too old in this sport.
Lin Dan retired at 37. And Axelsen showed that he's not up for the challenge. In other words, a rivalry between Axelsen and Len is looming on the horizon. These two badminton players will contest every major tournament. We also predict India to win their second Thomas Cup title in 2026 or 2027. We also foresee Sen winning the gold medal in the men's singles in the 2026 Asian Cup. No one can contradict it at this very moment.
Brave new world? Not really. More like a new world order.
Sen wouldn’t run of inspiration, as his drive (for excellence) is as high as the Himalayas.
"It’s a crucial few months for me. It will be important to choose the right tournaments this year and maintain a good ranking. At the same time, I want to get a few good training weeks in so that I can maintain my fitness," Sen said during an interview last year. "Prakash (Padukone) Sir, Vimal (Kumar) Sir, and my family have been the biggest influences in my career."
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