The two brothers Félix and Alexis Lebrun will compete in the WTT Finals, the table tennis Masters, starting this Wednesday in Fukuoka, Japan. And they won over the demanding Asian public.
Their lives have changed radically. Since their very good results, Félix and Alexis Lebrun have become table tennis stars. And this, especially in Asia. In Kitakyushu, Japan, where the WTT Finals, a tournament bringing together the 16 best players of the season, are taking place, the two brothers have many fans behind them.
To see this, just attend a training session. Félix, 18 years old, comes to hit the ball before entering the tournament. Several tables are lined up and at the back, behind barriers, dozens of fans are seated. They are mainly women, who have traveled from China. So yes, the vast majority films or takes photos of Chinese players. At that moment, at the same table, Wang Chuqin, the world number one and Lin Shidong, winner of the last WTT Champions in Frankfurt, and Esteban Dorr, French player qualified in doubles at the Finals, and Félix Lebrun are training. Obviously, all the objectives are focused on these players. These Chinese women do not take their eyes off Chuqin and Shidong, do not miss any of their actions. But there are two fans who film long minutes of Félix from all angles.
“They deserve me to pay for all this”
Their names are Zoe and Yiying. Both arrived from China just to see the Lebrun Brothers. To be as close as possible to them, they bought the “experience pass”, which costs 200 euros per day. That is to say, they have the seats closest to the table but can also attend the players' training and warm-ups. “To be honest, it's a big expense. But I think they deserve me to pay for it all,” says Zoe. Yiying is making her second trip to see Félix in particular: “It's very expensive to do all that. But it's less so when we go to a city in China. Going to Paris would be much too expensive, so we'll travel certainly more in Asia.”
Yiying has her handbag with Felix's image, photos of him when he plays, or even of him as a child. Zoe made a banner in honor of the tricolor. “He is so young and he always has this desire to win. When he plays, he is like a lion, with his aggressive play,” explains the fan. “I love Felix, I’m a big fan of his,” she adds. Zoe has an Instagram account where she posts the photos and videos she takes of her idol. Félix also follows on the social network. “Sometimes, with his brother Alexis, they look at me, smile at me. Because they see me everywhere. Alexis already told me 'I know who you are, you often take photos of us'. They know me because I'm always there for the matches of the French team and Félix,” she explains.
At the end of his training, Félix gives them a smile and a wave of the hand. “When I see him, I'm super happy, super excited. And when I meet him, outside his hotel or elsewhere, it's super exciting to see his handsome face. When I watch his matches, I can cry 'he wins or he loses, but if he loses I can be very sad,' Yiying recalls.
“The Glasses Brothers”
Because beyond his acting, which Zoe appreciates, it is above all Felix's charisma that makes them fall under his spell. “Felix is so cute. He's a young boy. In China, he's the man with the most photos of himself on the internet, from when he was little to now,” Zoe said. “To be honest, I didn't know much about table tennis before the Olympics. I watched the competition with my family and accidentally knew Felix. I was impressed by him. So I wanted to see it,” Yiying explains. “At the Olympics, he was so cute with his expressions during the matches. But he is cute in all cases,” smiles the Chinese fan.
With his big brother Alexis, they have gained real notoriety, particularly in China in the country of table tennis. “We call them the ‘glasses boys’ or the ‘glasses brothers’, because they wear glasses all the time and they look the same,” laughs Zoe. In any case, both will be able to count on their Asian supporters in each of their matches. “Come on Felix, come on”, shouts Zoé, in French.
