5 min readAug 9, 2026 08:25 AM IST First published on: Aug 9, 2026 at 08:25 AM ISTOdysseus could see Ithaca on the horizon before the winds sent him back out to sea. Lakshya Sen has had a similar year: an Olympic bronze and an All England title, both within reach, both blown off course by the same thing.Homer’s Odyssey has the hero sent off with stormy winds packed into an ox-skin bag, which his greedy crew let loose thinking there was gold inside, causing a storm. For Lakshya, the invisible, uncontrollable winds have injected one lesson into his marrow: court conditions can kill the flicker in any match if he doesn’t control the shuttle’s whims.