Both French teams will compete at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan 2024. The women’s team is led by newly crowned CCB Europe Top 16 Cup champion Jianan YUAN along with Camille LUTZ Charlotte LUTZ Prithika PAVADE and Audrey ZARIF. The men’s team consists of brothers Alexis LEBRUN and Félix LEBRUN along with experienced players Simon GAUZY Lilian BARDET and Jules ROLLAND.
A few days before the start of the World Team Championships in Busan captains Ludovic REMY and Nathanaël MOLIN along with delegation leader Emmanuel RACHEZ shared their latest impressions for the FFTT website.
Nathanaël MOLIN captain of the French men’s team
“The format is quite new with the reorganization of competitions by the WTT. The schedule is very busy and we haven’t had the opportunity to prepare collectively because the players train in different places.
How will you adapt to this week without competition?
“The competition starts four days after our arrival; the journey takes two days so the deadlines will be short. Nevertheless we will have the opportunity to discuss together taking into account everyone’s fatigue level; that’s the most important thing.”
What is the main objective after the quarter-finals in Chengdu in 2022?
“The last edition was special because it was the first competition of a new generation just after COVID. This year back to normal with a very young team but far from inexperienced as seen with Félix. The team can already rely on some experience.”
What is your feeling about the draw?
“I don’t pay much attention to the draw; there’s a randomness that no one can control and I tend to believe that it balances out over time. We drew Australia in the second position of the group which is obviously the most manageable draw. Conversely Denmark and Austria respectively positioned in the third and fourth positions on paper are two very strong teams.”
So this is the final rehearsal before the Olympics. Will you pay special attention to certain teams? Do you expect to be watched more closely?
“The competition is so important that we don’t even think about the Olympic Games. It’s a major competition; it stands alone and we are eager to leave our mark on it.
Ludovic REMY captain of the French women’s team
What is the team’s mindset approaching these World Championships in Busan?
“It’s an important competition the last team event before the Olympics. The momentum right now is very good especially thanks to Jianan’s victory at the European Top 16 ” said REMY.
What is the main objective?
“The objective is first and foremost to advance through the group stage. It’s very evenly matched. No team stands out significantly and no team seems significantly weaker; all matches will be approached seriously.”
Which team is the real threat in this Championships?
“We are the eighth-best team on paper so all teams ranked higher are obviously to be feared. There are many evenly matched lower-ranked teams that could pose difficulties for us but it’s also up to us to challenge the top nations.”
Emmanuel RACHEZ delegation leader
What are the main objectives?
“We have two relatively young teams mentored by Simon GAUZY and Jianan YUAN who are more experienced. After the two medals won in Malmö at the last European Championships the objective is quite clear: the podium.”
So this is the final rehearsal before the Olympics. Will you pay special attention to certain teams? Do you expect to be watched more closely?
“Yes and no because the contexts and formats are very different (there are no doubles in Busan). However the Chinese remain and will remain the clear favorites.”
