Viktor Axelsen might be going into his Olympic semifinal match on the back of a 7-1 record against Lakshya Sen but he admits he’s not taking the Indian lightly. Although Sen had not been in the best of form in the build-up to the competition – he had a modest win-loss record of 15-10 before the Olympics – he had taken the reigning Olympic champion to three games before going down 13-21, 21-16, 13-21 at the Singapore Open.
“My personal coach (and also father-in-law Henrik Rohde) were discussing before the Olympics who could be the real threat in the tournament and we both agreed that the real dark horse would be Lakshya. The last time I met him, we had a tough fight and when I spoke to my coach, we both felt he was a real contender at the Olympics,” says the 30-year-old Axelsen, who is the current world number 1.
While the Indian has got the better of Axelsen once – in another closely fought three-game match at the German Open two years ago, the two have also a genuine respect for each other with Axelsen also inviting the Indian to train alongside him a few years ago at his base in Dubai.
“It was a pleasure for us to have Lakshya train along with us. I also remember he was in Denmark playing in Aarhus with (former player) Morten Frost for a little bit. We know him quite well and we are happy he’s been able to make it to the Olympic semifinals. I was always hopeful he would do well at this level,” says Rohde.
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But the semifinals is where Axelsen hopes to end Lakshya’s run. While he’s aware of the challenge posed by Lakshya’s defensive skills and work rate, Axelsen felt he was up for the challenge.
“I know he’s a great guy. I know his family is very supportive and has played a big role in his success. I’m very happy to see him succeed. But I look forward to beating him,” said Axelsen.
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