Blunted by their exit from the group stage at the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue reformed their mixed doubles last week in Denmark, and will perform in Paris for the French Open which begin on Tuesday.
“We have a little the seum”, confesses Thom Gicquel. Blame it on the failed Olympic Games for the duo he formed with Delphine Delrue, eliminated in the mixed doubles group in Tokyo at the end of July. “We’re a little upset, yes, because we didn’t expect to play like that, completes her teammate. It was our worst matches in six months … “
read also
Mixed doubles results at the Tokyo Olympics
Three weeks of vacation later, the two young hopefuls of French badminton, 22 years old each, had found “The rage to leave”. With their trainer and their physical trainer, they took stock of two years of dazzling progress, an Olympic preparation under pandemic and a first major benchmark competition. “Their carelessness allowed them a rapid rise, analyzes their coach Baptiste Careme. At the Games you had to win against a higher ranked pair, whereas until then they just had to play badminton. “
A recurring lack of sparring partners
“We weren’t ready”, believes Thom Gicquel. Few racket tournaments, an internship in the Netherlands too early before the Games (for fear of Covid contamination), another in Japan canceled at the last moment … and a recurring lack of sparring partners. “We do not have foreign pairs throughout the year at Insep, explains Baptiste Careme. We are working on this subject with the French Federation, but it requires a lot of resources … “ Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, 10th in the world and 3rd in the race for the World Tour finals, are therefore training with a mixed pair and a French men’s double. Insufficient.
read also
Badminton news
Since the Olympic Games, they have played separately in competition, in men’s or women’s doubles. “It allows you to have fun too”, assures Delphine Delrue, whose partner, Léa Palermo, had to stop her season at the World Teams, ten days ago, victim of a rupture of the cruciate ligaments. “Technically and tactically, it brings things, explains Thom Gicquel. I who am rarely in front (in mixed doubles), it allows me to get used to the speed of the game again. And for Delphine, it allows her to play behind (a position requiring more endurance, editor’s note). “
The duo reconstituted during the Danish Open last week (eliminated in the round of 16 by Chinese Olympic champions Huang / Wang), while waiting for the French Open which opens this Tuesday in Paris. (Coubertin), until Sunday.
