This Sunday, the Lebrun brothers’ Blues won the European team title.
“We managed to be good when we needed to”: crowned European champion on Sunday with the French team, Alexis Lebrun returned to AFP on the performance of the Blues, who had “to heart” to win the title in Croatia.
Q: You already have a European title in singles and doubles since 2024, what does it feel like to add this team title?
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R : It’s nice, I think it’s very rare even if I don’t have the +stats+. I’m super proud, I’ve had a fantastic year and to be able to make it happen like this, with these titles, it’s incredible. I am very proud to have been part of this team and to have been able to make my contribution.
There is also a historical dimension, France had not won the Euro since 1998. Was it also important to confirm by teams?
Yes that’s it. We get along very well and we have a great team. Being able to experience this week, with the five players (Alexis, Félix Lebrun, Simon Gauzy, Flavien Coton and Thibault Poret, Editor’s note), the staff. We had a great time. We wanted to win the title together. We made it happen. (A milestone passed in the semi-finals with the victory against Germany?) I think that all the matches at the end of the competition were difficult, but we managed to be good in the moments when we needed to. Whether it was quarter-finals, semi-finals or final, we had great matches and that’s what we must remember.
You launched your teammates ideally by easily beating Iulian Chirita (3-0). You also started in the semi-final. Was there a desire for continuity in the order of passage of the players, or was it a question of preference vis-à-vis the opponent?
I think it was a choice from Nathanaël (Molin, the coach), who also wanted to keep me on the right dynamic, give me confidence and ensure that I could play an opponent who suited me well in the style of play. This allowed me to put them under pressure from the start. I had already played Iulian Chirita on the youth circuit, I had no senior reference but I always had the feeling that it was a game that suited me so I’m happy to have played a match like this.