“How do you analyze this defeat against Malaysian Lee Zii Jia (21-17, 21-5)?
I think I’m not having a bad game, but I just feel like I’m playing full court when he seems to be playing half a court. It’s impressive. I train very hard, I spend a month in the mountains (he did an internship in the Jura in June), maybe he’s done ten months in the mountains … It’s amazing because I think I had a good rhythm, but he goes three times faster than me. I don’t regret trying things out, but it’s a little frustrating to play against a player like that. I’ve seen two players go so fast before, it was China’s Lin Dan in Beijing and Malaysian Lee Chong Wei, who tested positive. When I faced Lee Zii Jia two years ago he wasn’t going that fast, it’s really weird.
“I would have liked to bring home the first Olympic medal in French badminton”
You have three participations in the Olympic Games (after London in 2012 and Rio in 2016), and, for the third time, you do not go out of pool, winning every other match. How do you see these three experiences?
It is difficult to compare. In London, I was very stressed. In Rio, I missed the boat a bit, I couldn’t break free. And there I was far away. I thought I could do a lot better. For me it was important to come to Tokyo. Five years, it was tough, the qualifiers were difficult, more than the other two, with the extra year, the recurring questioning of the Games and, for me, injuries all year, including the last which m ‘stressed (he was arrested six weeks for inflammation of the sesamoid and flexor tendon of the right foot contracted at the European Championships at the end of April) But I gave everything, I am proud of what I did for French badminton. I would have liked to bring home the first Olympic medal in French badminton, it will not be in Tokyo.
What are your plans now?
I will take some rest and treat my foot injury. Then, if I find a partner who wants and who I like, I would like to embark on a doubles project. (About his personal training structure) It is not because I want to do double that I have to return to Insep. If I feel better outside, we will train outside, there are a lot of people to help us. “
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