Table tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympics: “Federer, Nadal and Djokovic together”, China an ogre for the Lebrun brothers and Gauzy in the semi-finals

Simon Gauzy, Alexis Lebrun et Félix Lebrun s’attaquent à une Chine invaincue depuis de nombreuses années. MAXPPP – MAST IRHAM

Tranquilles vainqueurs du Brésil (3-0) mercredi, les Bleus s’attaquent aux invincibles Chinois ce jeudi 8 août (10 h), lors des demi-finales du tournoi par équipes masculin de tennis de table.

Once again, they were united. In this Arena Sud Paris of which they have become the “darlings”, Alexis, Félix Lebrun and Simon Gauzy made the most of it on Wednesday. Hand in hand, to the sound of “Olé”, they celebrated a victory that was as expeditious – a double and two singles swallowed in less than an hour and a half – as it was serious against Brazil (3-0). Already beaten by “Féfé” for the individual bronze, Hugo Calderano was once again powerless against the 17-year-old from Montpellier (3-1).

Everything was perfect in the quarter-finals of the team tournament, but this Thursday morning, the challenge looks much tougher. Because China, faced from 10am in the semi-finals, is a bit of a final boss, to use video game vocabulary, a monumental mountain on their Olympic road.

Undefeated since 2000 at the World Championships and since 2008 at the Olympics

“Tomorrow (Thursday), it's going to be something else, Gauzy projected. We wanted to go to the semi-finals to give ourselves two chances for a medal. We'll get them. Of course, one of them might be more complicated than the other. But we're there and we want to play a great game."

It will be necessary because the record of service of the team from the Middle Kingdom is dizzying: China has been undefeated since 2000 in the world championship and has always been Olympic champion. Since 2008 and the introduction of the collective format (one doubles, two singles) in Beijing, it has even lost only 3 of the 51 doubles or singles at the Olympics.

"In singles, there is only one match and therefore one feat to create. There, there are three in a row in two or three hours to complete. This is why they never or almost never lose for many years", breathes the Toulousain to try to explain this hegemony which continues despite the renewal players.

Molin : "After a while, Djokovic beat Federer and Nadal"

This Thursday, the Blues will face Ma Long, Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong, respectively double Olympic singles champion (2016, 2020), current world No.1 and new Olympic title holder. A “Dream team” or a “wall”, smiles Nathanaël Molin. “In fact, you play against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic together”, says the French coach, continuing the comparison with the three tennis monuments.

“But in all sports, you have to confront the best and the best to hope to beat him, he continues. Look at Novak Djokovic, at the start of his career, he lost to Nadal and Federer. And after a while, he didn't lose at all anymore."

World Cup reunion and Felix's "final challenge"

For her, the French team benefits from a reference. On February 25, she played in the final of the World Team Championships, the third in its history after 1948 and 1997, against these same Chinese. And if she fell 3-0 in Busan (South Korea), Gauzy pushed Ma Long to the 4th set. Above all, Alexis Lebrun offered himself a match point before losing in the 5th set against Fan Zhedong.

This precedent is added to the successes already acquired individually by Gauzy in 2019 (against world No. 2 Xu Xin) or Alexis over Zhendong in April 2023. Only Félix has never yet brought down a Chinese. But in Paris, the teenager is shaking things up. “Félix dreams of it. He loves this challenge, he knows it's his last”, Molin adds.

“The small difference is that usually, we play them in Asia or China with their audience. Here, there will be ours”, “Féfé” enthuses. This Thursday morning, he and his two partners are condemned to the impossible. Communion would be all the more beautiful.

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