In an interview with RMC Sport, Christo Popov, the first French winner of the badminton Finals, talks about his new ambitions.
Christo Popov wrote a beautiful page in French badminton ten days ago by becoming the first French badminton player to win the BWF Finals, which brought together the eight best players of the season. The 23-year-old, now world number 7, took the time to enjoy with his family in the mountains, but has already resumed training, with a view to the 2026 season which will begin on January 6 in Malaysia.
In an interview given to RMC Sporthe recognizes that his status will probably change on the circuit.
“In my daily life, here, in Fos-sur-Mer, this title has not changed my life. We are a small town, we all know each other, every day I meet people who congratulate me. It’s really nice. But on the badminton scale, I am, perhaps, a little better known,” he believes.
“People will pay a little more attention to me now during matches. I will be analyzed a lot more too. We’re going to have an eye on me this year. And I will be, let’s say, a seed to beat. It changes my status. I go from challenger to, now, confirmation. It’s a different status, with different expectations, for the next competitions. Now it’s up to me to confirm. »
World medal goal now
Even if he beat some big names during his dream week in Hangzhou, Christo Popov does not (yet) consider himself the best player in the world. “Maybe on the week I won, yes. Because I beat world numbers one, two, three, four and nine. It’s something rewarding, meaningful. Afterwards, badminton is such a complex sport that every day is very different. If I replayed the match the following week, maybe I wouldn’t have won, he admits. World champion of the year, no. But from this competition, obviously. It remains a very rewarding title, a very coveted title. I’m happy to have won it, to be the first Frenchman to have won it. »
In 2026, Christo Popov will continue to compete in singles and doubles with his brother Toma (“There was no question of stopping. We continue this dual objective”he confides) and is now aiming for a medal at the world championships, having stopped in the round of 16 in singles and in the round of 16 in doubles at the World Championships in Paris this summer. See you in New Delhi next August to continue writing the history of “bad” French!
