The last time Lakshya Sen won a match on the BWF World Tour was back at the World Championship in August. Since then, the only times he has won matches is:
Asian Games team event, where he beat Shi Yu Qi in the men's team final.
India's senior Nationals -- up until the quarterfinals -- where as top seed he lost to Bharat Raghav of Haryana.
It's quite the odd turn of fortune for the 22-year-old, who had beaten Kunlavat Vitidsarn and Li Shi Feng to win a Super 500 title at the Canada Open just last July. From that to go on a losing streak of seven, straight first-round exits is quite remarkable.
The latest of those was on Tuesday, to lower-ranked, younger compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat at the India Open Super 750, an event he had won back in his breakthrough 2022 season. And he did that after winning the first game.
The question hanging heavy over him now is... how can he help himself out of this slump?
According to childhood coach Vimal Kumar, no one can else can do much, it's up to him. Lakshya's problem, he says, is more in the head than anything physical.
"He is injury-free and he's training well, but of course, if you look at the last 4-5 months, he's been struggling at events," says Kumar. "At the moment, he is low on confidence and he's not playing the right game. That variation, he's not bringing in. He's trying to hit through in these sorts of (slow) conditions. He has to be patient, and [he isn't]. He's a little anxious, that's also an issue. Every athlete goes through this, but he's taking time to come out of this."
The solution, on paper, can be as easy as stringing together some wins. That's the reason he played the Nationals in December despite the long, arduous season. But the slump continued there as well.
"We wanted him to play the nationals so it could be a warmup event for him, but he was tight. He needs a few good wins, that's the only way. I cannot guarantee when that can happen, but I am hopeful. He's a good kid, I think he should find his way back."
How then does he deal with an issue that is more mental than physical?
"In his own way, he has to find solutions," says Kumar. "He knows what needs to be done but applying himself when it matters, that's the key. Converting all his training into wins is what matters. It's a process. I am happy that he is physically fine. I think it is a matter of time."
"Yesterday also I [told him] 'you need to find a way; you will be OK. Just because you lost some first-round matches recently, doesn't mean you are a bad player'"
One way would be to seek the help of a sports psychologist. Lakshya is currently working with Gayatri Varthak, sport psychologist, and a former international badminton player. But that is more on and off, as per Kumar, and needs to be more regular.
"When you have trouble, you call her up. I said that's not how it works. I am only looking at that because that is one thing, he has to find the confidence back."
Right now, Lakshya is also without a regular coach as well, after he and Anup Sridhar parted ways at the end of last season since the partnership was not working out. At the Malaysia Open, Kumar and Lakshya's brother Chirag Sen were in the coaching chair for him. In New Delhi, he had his father and Kumar.
The plan is for Kumar to accompany him for a few tournaments and maybe even bring along the great Prakash Padukone as a mentor. But there are no plans of a new coach, not this close to the Olympics, where getting someone will be difficult.
"I keep telling him that 'some of the tournaments you've got to do it yourself, playing on your own'," says Kumar. "'Go back to your basics, ensure that you don't make these unforced errors'. The kind he was committing yesterday, that's in desperation because Priyanshu was keeping the shuttle in play, so the pressure got to him."
"We should not over-coach in such situations. There's a lot of people saying do this and that, but as long as he stays fit, he will find a way. ...He is going through the worst phase of his career, but he will find a way to come out of it."
Technically and tactically, his game is sound believes Vimal. "His game is playing at a faster pace and retrieve then counter punch," he says. "But now he is only trying to play fast and when it's not working out, he's not prepared to stick in there without making mistakes, keep it going. That's not happening. The key is to simplify things and go back to why you started playing in the first place."
The solution to desperation isn't over-practicing either, he says. It's just a matter of calmly getting on with the process.
With the BWF calendar jam-packed as ever (the Indonesia Masters Super 500 is next week), and with the Olympics fast approaching, Lakshya will need to find a way to end this first-round exit streak soon. But first he has to find himself.