Mulheim this week then Paris, Birmingham, Basel, Madrid and finally Saarbrücken for the individual European Championship from April 8 to 14 for the last competition which will be taken into account for the race for Olympic places. At the end of these six tournaments which will follow one another, the brothers Toma Junior and Christo Popov will be decided on their fate. Six weeks of competition in Europe which will decide the places allocated for the Paris Games… It will be hard, perhaps physically demanding.
This is the reason why the brothers want to reduce physical constraints as much as possible, promote recovery by taking a whole staff with them during this intense period: physiotherapist, osteopath, assistant coach to support Toma Junior father.
“Putting all means at our disposal”
“We want to put all the means at our disposal to qualify.“, adds Toma Popov. Even if it is a financial investment, the Olympics are not held in France every year. A deadline which allows the Popov brothers to see the media interest around them explode. Report for the TV news , live radio broadcast on national airwaves, or live broadcasts like “C à Vous” on France 5 alongside Denis Brogniart as guests. The history of the family is as striking as the resemblance that may exist with the Lebrun brothers, other young tricolor cracks in a racket sport.
One victory away from the Labar-Corvée pair
To see the two brothers represent France in singles in the capital this summer, they will have to achieve a big success, at least, in one of these tournaments and be present both in the first sixteen at the “Race to Paris” , the name given to the Olympic qualifying race. “Everything is still possible even if the probability of qualifying for two is greater in doubles than in singles today. If we can do it in singles, that would be great. In doubles, there are currently 600 points with Ronan and Lucas, it is the equivalent of a victory. It would be a great success if we can do that.“
Start of the marathon this Tuesday in Germany
A final stretch synonymous with pressure, obviously, for the Popov team. “It leads us to be more focused. We know from the start that it’s going to be hard, but it’s a determination that leads us to be up to the task.”
Starting with the German Open which begins tomorrow in Mulheim, in Saarland. A Franco-French clash is proposed to Toma Junior Popov against Alex Lanier, semi-finalist of the last French championships. A Dane, Mads Christophersen, will be proposed to Christo at the first event which will take place on Wednesday for the brothers. The double will take place this Tuesday. “They will be opposed to a Canadian pair, explains their father coach. A competing duo with Tomi and Christo since they are just ahead of them in the world rankings. We will have to win.“Winning, a leitmotif for the two brothers until April 14 inclusive, date of the final of the European Championships…
2024-02-26 19:47:09
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