Alexis and Félix Lebrun will compete in the 2023 European Table Tennis Team Championships, from September 10 to 17 in Malmö, Sweden. The two young brothers who never leave each other’s side aim to mark the history of French ping pong in Paris 2024 with an uninhibited game compared to big nations such as China or Japan.
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Here are two young boys full of talent who are giving a boost to the “ ping » French. Félix Lebrun, 17, entered the top 15 of the ITTF world rankings on August 8 and continues to progress globally. While it was his brother Alexis, 20, who had the status of French number 1 for several months, this honor now belongs to him.
The uncle was already one of the best in the world and the father, Stéphane, coach in Montpellier where they came from, was one of the best French people. “ It helped us, they took us to the ping-pong room very early, we bathed in it », says Félix, known as “Féfé”. “ We talked about ping-pong all the time, the passion comes from there », Supports Alexis, the more fanciful of the two.
The two brothers have always had in mind becoming professionals. Today, doubles partners and occasional opponents, they spend their time crossing the planet for tournaments. “ We don’t see our family and friends often, but we “kiffe” this life », says Alexis, frank gaze, rectangular glasses on his nose and a mind of steel. Over the past year, the two boys have made a name for themselves in Asia, a major continent for table tennis, where the number of players numbers in the tens of millions.
Two brothers very close in life
For Emmanuel Rachez, head of the Paris 2024 unit within the French Table Tennis Federation, apart from being “ very friendly “, the two blond heads, accomplices in life, are “ very spectacular » in their way of playing. Few European players have managed to beat the world number 1, the Chinese Fan Zhendong. And Alexis Lebrun, with his ruthless serve and his power, did it in the quarter-finals of the WTT Champions tournament in Macau, China, last April.
Emmanuel Rachez, who has been coaching for 40 years, does not remember having had two phenomena such as the Lebrun brothers. “ These are two extraordinary talents, with a very efficient unit around them and a training club (Montpellier) who did a lot of work. The terrain was favorable for them. A few months ago, the cadet won the European Games (his first major tournament, confirming his precocious talent, by beating the Portuguese Marcos Freitas in the final, editor’s note). But let’s not forget that for the moment, they are in the role of outsiders for Paris 2024 », he procrastinates about these two extraordinary and creative players who do not seem to be at odds with the pressure.
“ It’s great what they’re doing for French table tennis and sport in general. They are talking about us. It’s rare to have two brothers who play equally well in the same sport. And what’s more, they have very interesting personalities », Supports the French player Prithika Pavade about these two UFOs.
Two extraordinary ambassadors
For both of them, Paris 2024 is a goal, they play mainly to win “ headlines “. If they shine in 2024, their federation should see an influx of young people into table tennis clubs across France. “ It’s a pleasure to promote our passion », say in unison those who share the same supervision on a daily basis. “ We do everything together », explains Alexis, who wants to think about the pleasure of playing and not about “ the challenge » in a few months in Paris.
“ They are the example of champions who will bring kids to table tennis », says Emmanuel Rachez. “ They are increasingly followed on social networks and asked for selfies in airports », he adds by way of example. After Jean-Philippe Gatien’s silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, the number of young licensees exploded in France.