Lakshya blocks out noise to finally achieve success

At the end of a long, trophyless season, the 24-year-old won the Australian Open

- Shahid Judge [e-mail]

India's Lakshya Sen in action during the Australian Open final against Japan's Yushi Tanaka.

(AFP)

Lakshya Sen looked straight into the camera. Then he closed his eyes and put his fingers in his ears. That was a moment of calm, his moment of peace. His moment of celebration.

Towards the end of a long, trophyless season, Sen had finally won a piece of silverware when he triumphed at the Australian Open, a World Tour Super 500 event on Sunday. Finally, in a year where he has struggled physically and mentally, the player from Almora, Uttarakhand had conquered some of those demons.

“There were a lot of things (I had to deal with) throughout the year,” he said during a media roundtable. “Especially when I was not doing well, there were a lot of doubts that were in my mind. I think for me, it was important to just block everything and believe in myself... Just trust yourself that you are doing the right thing.”