After his superb season, where he reached his best world ranking (8th) but also a final at the French Open badminton tournament, Christo Popov qualified for the BWF World Tour Finals. The last tournament of the year, in China, in Hangzhou, which brings together the eight best players of the season. The badista from Fos-sur-Mer spoke to RMC Sport, just before the start of the competition, where he will start on Wednesday against the Dane, Anders Antonsen.
Christo Popov, how are you feeling heading into this competition?
Honestly, it’s going really well, I’m ready. We trained a lot, I didn’t stop. I didn’t have a vacation. I’m very happy to have qualified for the Finals and I’m motivated. The training sessions went well. I pushed a lot the last four weeks. This week I was a little exhausted, but it was more recovery. I’m ready to go for some big matches and I hope it works.
Participating in the BWF World Tour Finals, which brings together the eight best players of the season, what does it mean?
I think that qualifying is something symbolic, which has a lot of value. It’s different to win another tournament. It’s another way of saying that the season was great. Now some very good matches are going to happen. I will have to play opponents who are very tough. This is where I enjoy it the most. I know I’m going to have a lot of fun, that’s for sure.
You know the other seven players perfectly, you have already lost them, but also won most of them, we say to ourselves that anything can happen?
Anything can happen to you, to anyone. That’s what’s exciting for the spectators or those watching TV. They know that both players can win the match. But it will depend on who is in better shape, who will have a little more success, who will play better tactically on the day, who will be better.
In the run-up to this competition, was there any different preparation?
The only change is that I worked even more physically. Because we are at the end of the season, the body is tired. You have to prepare for big matches. We know that at the end of the season, there can be small glitches or injuries. I feel ready to play at least three big matches in a row.
Is being one of the top eight of the season a source of pride?
Yes, absolutely. My qualification was only done over the last six months. So in the end, I had a really great mid-season for myself. I am very happy.
How do you explain this success in the second half of the season?
I think the first start of the season was a bit of a special moment. This is where we worked hard for me, physically, in terms of my legs, to be stronger, more powerful, faster and more enduring. It’s complicated to improve all three. But being in an intense training period, I was a little tired during competition. Sometimes there were matches where I lost in the tie-break, 22-20, 23-21, in the 3rd set. He lacked a little success to move on to the second round. Afterwards, we relax and we play better and better. I think that’s what was missing.
Today, you have a new status, you are one of the leaders, in singles, of this French team. Can you cope with that?
Yes, it’s a different status today. Before, we were a little with my brother, Toma, but not by being top 10 in the world. Today, I am also top 10, so it’s an extra weight. I think it’s great, being with my brother and with Alex Lanier, the ambassadors of badminton, and with mixed too, they achieve incredible results. It’s nice to have a French team which was young and which is improving little by little. We have very good generations and it’s nice to see that all this is coming to fruition too, that everyone is able to perform, to be successful. I’m looking forward to the team competitions too, to see what we can do together.
Do you feel this expectation around you today?
It’s up to me to manage all that, it never bothered me too much. I am someone who is closed in on myself, I only look at myself and what I do. It doesn’t really affect me and on the contrary, it motivates me to confirm. But above all, a good thing is that I continue to enjoy it. I’m sure I’ll enjoy next week and that’s very important.
So, for these Finals, what ambitions do you arrive with?
I’m aiming for a podium, obviously. I think whoever wins will be one hell of a physical beast. It will be someone who will have to be brought back in a wheelchair (laughs). Frankly, a podium is something I deserve given the work and ambitions we have now. Afterwards, it’s obviously the same for all the opponents. It’s a competition that brings in more prize money, but also quite a few points. Getting a big result allows us to have a lot of points for next year. What is important to stay seeded in big tournaments is very important. Comparing yourself to the top eight in the world for a week is something that others don’t have when they train. It is also a competition to end the year, but also to prepare well for next year.
