Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen will have a new coach after the Paris Olympics, said his mentor and former India coach Vimal Kumar, who has taken over the duties till the Summer Games.
The 22-year-old from Almora has parted ways with Anup Sridhar, who was hired at the beginning of the year keeping in mind the Paris Olympics in July-August.
"Anup was hired till Olympics but Lakshya wanted to try out few things, so they mutually decided to part ways," Vimal told PTI on Tuesday.
"He needs to have a younger coach travelling with him. But there is hardly any time. So we will be able to hire someone only after the Olympics. I will be travelling with him till the Olympics."
Sen is currently ranked 17th in the Olympic Games qualification rankings and needs to stay inside the top 16 by April-end to make the Paris Games cut.
Commonwealth Games champion Sen claimed the Canada Open Super 500 title in July, besides three semifinal finishes at the Thailand Open Super 500, US Open Super 300 and Japan Open Super 750 last season.
However, Sen also made 11 first-round exits, including the last seven events in the season which ended with a loss in the Senior National Championships in December.
His first-round exit from Malaysia has further raised concerns about his form.
Vimal said: "He is under pressure to qualify and needs to get his confidence back. There is nothing wrong with his game.
"The competition is so tough that anybody within the top 30-35 can beat each other if they can manage to play at their 100 per cent."
‘Asia team Championships will be crucial for Sindhu’
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who suffered a knee injury last November, is currently training under Indonesian Agus Dwi Santoso at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bangalore in a bid to win a gold in Paris.
"Sindhu has regained her fitness and just started her training under coach Santoso, who was there with the Indian men's players before. He has the experience of Olympics and doing all the right things," Vimal said.
"She has lost a bit of weight. She will be back at Asia team Championships which will be crucial as it will give us an idea about where she stands.
"It is all about confidence, once she beats one of the top players, she will find her touch. It is tough but she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone."
