Qualifying for the Paris Olympics was not a walk in the park for Lakshya Sen and the tournament won’t be one either. The Indian shuttler was all but out of the Race for Paris until two successive semi-final finishes at the French Open and All England in March helped him clinch a berth at the 11th hour.

Though he made the cut, his debut Olympics will be anything but easy as the 22-year-old has been drawn in Group L with world No.52 Julien Carraggi of Belgium, No.41 Kevin Cordon of Guatemala and No.3 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. Sen is expected to romp past Carraggi and Cordon, but it is in Christie that he will face his biggest test.

“Christie has been a tough opponent. All my matches against him have been close. I will be watching those matches, observing the areas I can do better from last time. Simultaneously, I’ll be focussing on my strengths, on how I can control the game and play my best,” Sen said over a video call from Marseille on Friday.

While Sen has unbeaten records against Carraggi (2-0) and Cordon (1-0), the Almora resident has a poor 1-4 head-to-head against the world No.3, losing the last four contests. On top of it, Christie has been in brilliant form this year, winning two major titles – Asia Championships and All England Open. Only the topper from the group will progress to the Round of 16, meaning Sen will have to trump the Indonesian for the first time in four years to progress.

“I have played all of them before. I know what to expect. It is a tough pool. But I would be playing the Belgian and Guatemalan before facing Christie which will help me set up a good match against Christie. I have to be really sharp,” said Sen.

“This will be the biggest tournament of my life. Competition will be very tough as everyone will bring their A-game. I have to be at my very best, play well consistently in all matches. But I am really focussed and prepared for the next 2-3 weeks in Paris.”

The Indian is likely to face friend and compatriot HS Prannoy in the pre-quarter-final should both win their respective groups. Lakshya has a slight edge in their head-to-head, leading 4-3.

“As of now I am only thinking of winning the group. There is a lot of work to be done before the knockouts. Overall, I am really prepared to go out there and give my best. The training has been good,” said Sen.

To prepare for his debut Olympics, Sen has shifted base to Marseille – a three-hour drive from Paris – for a 12-day stint at the Halle des Sports Parsemain. He has a support team of 10 members, including coach Yoo Yong Sung, shuttler brother Chirag, his physical trainer and physio, and sparring partners in India internationals Kiran George and Ayush Shetty. In addition, he has also been sparring with the Popov brothers – Christo and Toma Jr – both of whom will be taking part in the Games.

“We decided to come here because it is close to Paris. The main reason was to come here early, get used to the time zone and get into the sleeping pattern. Also, shuttle speed matters a lot. In Bengaluru, shuttles are quite fast,” said Sen.

“In Marseille, which is next to the sea, the shuttle travels much slower. Conditions will be similar in Paris even if I keep the drift in mind. We will have 3-4 days to settle down in Paris and also get some court time and be ready for the matches.”

Sen’s Marseille stint will end on Sunday following which he will move to the Games Village in Paris on Monday.

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