Tables have turned for Lebrun siblings, with Felix also giving big bro Alexis table tennis advice now

SINGAPORE – When Felix Lebrun joined older brother Alexis on the international table tennis circuit some years ago, it was naturally the younger sibling who needed guidance and advice.

But with both having established themselves on the global stage, the dynamic between the French brothers has inevitably evolved.

Now, the age gap between Alexis and Felix, who are 22 and 19 respectively, has become less apparent, as both have developed into elite players in their own right.

“Before, it was more me giving a lot of advice and him trying to learn from me,” said Alexis, who sits at world No. 14 in the men’s singles world rankings, with Felix ranked sixth.

“Since he’s gotten older and is also a better table tennis player, we start to exchange a lot.

“Now, sometimes he gives me advice and sometimes I give him advice, it’s more like an equal relationship, but before, it was more like big brother and the little brother.”

The world No. 3 doubles pairing were speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash at The Kallang’s OCBC Arena.

On Feb 24, they set up a men’s doubles quarter-final against Sweden’s Anton Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson after beating Chile’s Nicolas Burgos and Gustavo Gomez 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 13-11).

Both are also still in the men’s singles event, with Alexis taking on Germany’s Patrick Franziska in the round of 32 on Feb 25, while Felix will come up against compatriot Flavien Coton in the last 16 later in the week.

Together, the Lebrun brothers have helped France firmly establish its place on the world stage in recent years.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, they were part of the team who clinched bronze, while Felix was also the men’s singles bronze medallist. At just 17, he became the youngest medallist in both events.

Momentum continued to build. In November 2024, Felix and Alexis rose to the top of the men’s doubles world rankings after their victory at the WTT Finals in Fukuoka, Japan.

At the 2025 World Table Tennis Championships in Doha, the brothers shared the men’s doubles joint-bronze with compatriots Esteban Dorr and Florian Bourrassaud.

Japan’s Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami snagged gold, while Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui bagged silver.

Achieving these milestones alongside his brother has made the journey even more meaningful for Felix.

He said: “We enjoy it even more when it’s with your brother, (rather) than with another person. So now we are really happy to have this good result in doubles together.

“The emotions are also bigger when you share it with someone you love.”

Part of what keeps them motivated is the impact they are seeing back home.

Their Olympic performances helped convert new fans in France. Even football legend and 1998 World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane turned up to cheer them on during the Paris Games.

Said Alexis: “For sure, table tennis in France and in the world, it’s growing very fast. In France, the results are very good from Felix and me, but also from the rest of the team.

“It means a lot for a country like France and people will start to look at a lot of matches, and it’s very good.”

That has only spurred them to want to achieve more.

Felix said: “It was always my dream to take an Olympic medal, even more, if it’s possible.

“For the future, now that I’ve achieved this, of course we want to make it bigger.

“We know that it will be really hard, but we will try our best to get an even better medal.”

Continuing on that trajectory, Felix believes the gap between Asian and European players has narrowed over the years.

He pointed to Paris Olympics silver medallist Truls Moregard as an example, after the Swede became the first European player to win a men’s singles title on the WTT Grand Smash stage at the Europe Smash in 2025.

In front of a home crowd in Malmo, he beat Chinese top seed Lin Shidong 4-3 to seal a memorable victory.

Felix also credited the WTT circuit for providing more opportunities to face Chinese players, long regarded the benchmark of the sport.

He said: “We are closing the gap with Asia, but also with China, I feel, but they are still the best.

“But we try to improve and come closer to figuring out how to beat them and I’m happy to also see some people achieve big results, like Truls in Malmo.

“I really think that I have a chance, and Europeans have a chance to compete more with the Chinese and to win sometimes.”