Lakshya Sen is living up to his name. Attention unwavering and determined, the badminton star is reaching targets and attaining goals. He ended 2021 with a bang, becoming the youngest Indian male shuttler to win a medal at the World Championships, that too on his debut. He lost to compatriot Kidambi Srikanth in a close semi-final which could have gone either way.

The 20-year-old started 2022 with an equally big bang, securing his maiden Super 500 title, registering a stunning straight-game (24-22, 21-17) victory over reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the final of the Indian Open.

There’s more. Lakshya has been featured in the prestigious list of Forbes India 30 under-30 2022 for his stupendous run in 2021. So many feathers in his cap, isn’t it too much too soon for someone who is just 20 years old?

“Last 4-5 months have been really kind to me,” Lakshya told The Telegraph from Shah Alam, Malaysia, on Thursday.

“The wins have been real confidence-boosters. They inspired in me the self-belief to go ahead and bag many more tournaments. And, in what will be a busy year, this boost sure will help.”

Lakshya will be leading the India men at the Asia Team Championships which begin on Monday. “That will be followed by three tournaments in Europe — the German Open, All England Championships and the Swiss Open. I’ll be playing in all of those. ”

The year also has the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. So, he has his plate pretty much full in the coming months.

With so many tournaments following in quick succession, how does he keep himself motivated? Pat comes the reply: “My love for the game keeps me motivated, it pushes me to try harder, to improve further.

“But of course, it’s important to find the right balance between playing and re-invigorating myself which I do by taking small breaks whenever possible and making good use of them.

“It is also necessary to keep the body fit in order to go out and play 15-20 tournaments in a year. So, usually after tournaments, I take just a couple of days off and then return to training... can’t afford to slacken up for too many days. Above everything, the right focus is a must,” said the Almora-based shuttler who has been aptly named Lakshya.

And, had he not been a badminton player, what would he have been?

“A footballer or a basketball player,” he said, without any hesitation. “I would always have been a sportsperson. Any other profession was never a consideration.”

Lakshya, currently ranked 13th in the world, is leading a very young group at the Asia Team Championships, where India had clinched a bronze in the last edition.

“Yes, there are a lot of new faces and everyone is pretty much charged up. But we will take one match at a time —which is what I do in all my tournaments — and then let’s see,” said Lakshya who, along with the other team members, is currently in quarantine in a hotel.

How did he manage to practise and stay fit over the last two difficult years?

“The first lockdown year was tough when we were all stuck at home. Thereafter, training was not so much of a problem. I could train at home or go for a run. But the biggest setback was lack of tournaments owing to which the motivation to train too dropped.”

Lakshya fervently hopes that the world does not see a similar situation again. One last question to the earnest youngster… many say he has an uncanny resemblance with Bollywood superstar Ranbir Kapoor. His comments?

“A lot of people indeed say so and since he happens to be one of my favourite actors, I think I’ll keep that compliment,” Lakshya signed off with a laugh.