“Ça tire, j’ai tout qui tire, j’ai mal partout,” Christo Popov said, smiling through the fatigue of his left thigh as he returned to training at the gymnase des Carabins in Fos-sur-Mer.
Fresh off his title at the Internationaux de France in Tremblay-en-France, the French badminton player stepped onto the court on a quiet Thursday in late October as the newly crowned world number one. Reaching the top of the Badminton World Federation rankings on Tuesday, October 27, marked a historic milestone for French badminton, making Popov the first tricolore player in men’s singles to win the Internationaux de France.
Stepping Back Onto the Court at Fos-sur-Mer
Four days after his run in the Parisian tournament, Popov’s training session was kept light. “Tranquille, afin de reprendre le rythme, de ne pas se blesser et laisser le corps encore un peu au repos,” Popov explained of the low-intensity drills focusing on baseline and net work. Working alongside him as a sparring partner was Ronan Labar, who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and now balances teaching physical education with supporting the Popov brothers.
LET'S WELCOME OUR NEW WORLD NUMBER #1!Congratulations to Christo Popov for reaching career high of World Rank number 1 this week! pic.twitter.com/2Z95gCUAE0
“S’entraîner avec un numéro un mondial, ce n’est pas tous les jours,” Labar acknowledged, marking the occasion by bringing a six-pack of soda to the gym.
Chasing History in the BWF Rankings
The updated BWF rankings released on October 27 placed a French flag at the summit of men’s singles for the first time. “À mon réveil, ce jour-là, le premier truc que j’ai fait, c’était ouvrir la fenêtre à mon chat comme d’habitude,” Popov recalled with a laugh. “Mais c’est fou. Honnêtement ça fait un peu bizarre mais évidemment, c’est beaucoup de fierté.”
With less than 500 ranking points separating him from Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who sits at number two, maintaining the top ranking presents an immediate challenge. “C’est quelque chose que l’on a tous envie d’avoir un jour en tant qu’athlète et moi, je l’ai eu. Je suis très content. Y rester, ça va être un gros challenge, donc je vais essayer un maximum de conserver cette place,” Popov noted.
A Historic Wave for French Badminton
Popov’s ascent to world number one crowns a period for French badminton, which also saw world championship titles in August secured by Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue in mixed, alongside Alex Lanier in singles. Labar praised the milestone as “une juste récompense au vu des résultats de l’année,” noting that Popov had dominated through every category before establishing himself at the senior level.
Following a brief period at home to recover and celebrate the milestone, Popov will travel to Japan. The Kumamoto Masters, scheduled from November 10 to 15, will serve as his debut tournament playing as the world number one.
Worth a look
