Alexis and Félix Lebrun are back on the WTT circuit this weekend at the Singapore Grand Smash. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART
It will be "hard to do better" than last year, but Alexis and Félix Lebrun are back on the WTT circuit this weekend at the Singapore Grand Smash, with the ambition of continuing to grow.
This first major tournament of the season (start of the main round on Sunday), equivalent to a tennis Grand Slam, will also be the first test for the two star brothers of table tennis.
“We hope to be competitive right away, it's a big competition that allows you to score a lot of points”, 2000 for the winner, Alexis Lebrun (14th in the world) explained to AFP just before taking the plane. “And then obviously to be able to continue playing against the best players in the world to continue our progression and go for great things”, continued the 21-year-old table tennis player.
Renewed ambitions
Go for great things, after a year 2024 marked by a shower of promises and rewards: a team silver medal at the World Championships in Busan, two bronze medals at the Olympic Games, two titles at the European Championships in Linz, a world No. 1 place in doubles.
Of course “It's going to be hard to do better, but I still hope that we'll get there”, believes Félix Lebrun (5th), whose wish is shared by his brother Alexis, three years his senior. “We'll have to continue to go for medals” after having had the time “to really enjoy this year, take a step back and start again with new goals”.
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After the WTT Finals at the end of November, which marked the end of the season, the two brothers took advantage of training periods, alongside their coach Nathanaël Molin, to “be able to retrain over fairly long phases”, continues Alexis Lebrun, who took advantage of the opportunity to work on his “short game”, when Felix favored “the physical aspect”.
“At my age, I still have a lot to work on in this area, after that I will be able to develop a technique through my physical progression”, explains the 18-year-old player.
The competition also continued between the championship and the Champions League with Nîmes/Montpellier. The southern club, after qualifying for the Top 8 at the end of December, lost its quarter-final first leg against Borussia Düsseldorf (3-0) on January 17. Before returning to Germany on February 16.
Ambitions
On the international front, the season will also be marked by the Doha World Championships in the spring (May 17-25), where the Lebruns will obviously be expected if they want to make 2025 an equally special year.
In Singapore, in addition to Félix and Alexis Lebrun, other French players will be there before the end of qualifying on Saturday. Simon Gauzy (39th) and Prithika Pavade (20th) will play the singles and will be partnered in mixed doubles.
The French No. 2 is also announced alongside the Puerto Rican Adriana Diaz in doubles. The world No. 19 Jia Nan Yuan will play the singles. Finally, the pair Esteban Dorr-Florian Bourrassaud, world No. 5, is also entered.