Bengaluru: Lakshya Sen was distraught; coach Vimal Kumar was livid and the match looked like it could slip away. It was the second round of the All England this year and the Indian was trailing against Anders Antonsen. The Dane was in scorching form and Lakshya’s errors were being roundly punished.

“Vimal sir was giving me pointers but my mind was all over the place. He was angry and emotional that I was making silly errors. I was angry too and we exchanged a few words.” From down 2-8 in the decider, Lakshya made a stirring comeback to find a place in the quarterfinals. When Antonsen sprayed the shuttle wide on match-point, Lakshya dropped to his knees before rushing to a waiting, overjoyed Vimal. “He gave me the tightest hug and said ‘Get angry with me all you want but play like this’.”

Lakshya was barely ten when he walked into Vimal’s office at the Karnataka Badminton Association, in Bengaluru stood on his toes to reach the table and coyly slipped him a handwritten note. The kiddish scrawl spelt intent. In it, complete with scoreline details, Lakshya wrote about losing alongside partner Bodhit Joshi to the pair of Siril Varma and Kanishq, a couple of times.

“He wanted to join the academy and get better just to beat them,” says Vimal, “I was both surprised and impressed.”

Revenge against Varma-Kanishq was exacted at the junior nationals later that year, and at 15, Lakshya turned junior world No 1. He’s been a top-10 singles player, Worlds medallist and All England runner-up since, and is now headed to his first Olympics. Through Lakshya’s rise, from a strong-willed 10-year-old to a 22-year-old who can slay top names and summon fightbacks and medals, Vimal has been the constant. The guy who sits courtside, nerves jangling or looks up dodgy live match YouTube streams and yells at his screen.

“Vimal sir can be very emotional at times. In recent tournaments when I wasn’t doing well, I could tell he was not happy.”

In his time, Vimal was a rebel. He gave up a chance to go to medical school to pursue badminton, spent a few years living alone in England, playing, and waiting tables. He revolted and wrote to the Badminton Association of India (BAI) when his entry was left out of tournaments and demanded that he be allowed to claim his prize money at events rather than it taking the circuitous route to him via India. He was a top-20 player in an era when Prakash Padukone dazzled. Together they founded the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in 1994.

“Both of them are such legends,” Lakshya says, “In my early days I found it difficult to speak at all in front of them. When I got to know them, I realised they’re such cool people. I love how Vimal sir has always been willing to listen to my tiniest concern. Nothing is dismissed as stupid or silly. He has allowed me to grow and think independently. His approach has been – ‘I’ll tell you what I think but the final call is yours’. Earlier I thought ‘I know nothing, how am I going to decide’? But now I’ve come to enjoy and understand it a bit more. Even if I go wrong, I know it was my call and I get to learn and take responsibility. For a coach to show that kind of trust in a young player makes a big difference.”

“Vimal sir is also the biggest badminton fan I know. When he watches matches at home, he jumps up and down like a kid. When we travel together for tournaments, after our matches and dinner, the rest of us retire to our rooms or step out, but he’ll head back to the playing hall to watch other matches.”

As someone who chose not to kowtow to authority as a young player, Vimal abhors unquestioning obedience. It may explain why his relationship with Lakshya remains free from the typical overbearing dynamics that can arise as athletes transition from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood.

“You shouldn’t have to nod at everything a coach tells you,” Vimal offered, “I hate it when a top player does that. You should have a point of view of what works for you. I always tell Lakshya, ‘you should challenge me, argue with me, don’t just blindly agree with me’.”

“All the support, coaching is just 10 per cent perhaps, 90 per cent comes down to the athlete. Take care of your body, go out and train with other top players if the opportunity comes your way. Don’t worry about silly things like others will get familiar with your game. Just do what it takes and don’t be overly reliant on anyone, whether it’s a coach, parent or sponsor.”

Five years ago, teenaged Lakshya was sent to the Danish town of Aarhus along with three fellow academy mates. They lived in a dorm, sparred with Danes, played for a local club and did their own dishes and laundry. “He would at times wonder why he’s being put through it. I don’t think he enjoyed doing the dishes too much,” Vimal laughs. Padukone’s old rival, good friend and former world No 1 Morten Frost oversaw Lakshya’s progress and accompanied him to tournaments. It was during Lakshya’s time in Denmark that he won his first BWF World Tour title.

Post the pandemic break, Vimal thought it was essential that Lakshya take a few more steps. “It was a conscious decision that I should travel alone for a few tournaments without a coach or physio and learn to manage by myself,” says Lakshya, “I was at places where no other Indian player was around. So, I would go play my matches, come back and eat, train and take care of my recovery. We wanted to be prepared for an Olympics where no one could accompany me.”

Over the past couple of years, Lakshya’s brand has grown and so have endorsement offers. “The one thing Vimal sir told me early on is to learn to invest money back into sport once I start earning enough. OGQ has been very generous in their support. But at times if there’s anything I need for my training, I go ahead and get it for myself.”

Currently, Vimal and Lakshya are in Marseille for pre-Olympic training, before they head to Paris. “The good thing about Lakshya is he’s hungry for big wins,” Vimal says, “I tell him ‘you’re training and playing well and have as good a chance as anybody else’. A medal may or may not come this time. Of course if you ask me, I’d say I’m counting on this time.”

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