The Popov brothers have established themselves as the faces of the emerging talent wave from France. As a result, fans have been awaiting the time that they will have to play against each other and last weekend it finally arrived.
Uniquely, both brothers have excelled in singles and also in the doubles together as a pair. As singles players, they have caused quite a stir in the category in their own right. Numerous times a clash between the two competitive siblings came close, but it was at the French nationals finals last week where we finally saw them go head-to-head.
Here are their player profiles:
Toma Junior Popov
23 years old.
2018 European Junior Champion.
World Tour titles (3) – SaarLorLux Open 2020, Orleans Masters 2021 and Spain Masters 2021.
11 BEC circuit or World Tour finals, 11 wins.
Christo Popov
19 years old.
2020 European Junior Champion.
BEC Circuit titles (2) – Italian International 2019 and Ukraine Open 2022.
Defeated Anthony Ginting at the Indonesia Open 2021.
The match
The two have been asked before about what it would be like to have the other brother as an opponent on the other side of the net. In interviews, they smile and hope that it never happens as they both want the other to do well.
When Christo Popov was making his way to European Junior gold in Finland two years ago, during the interview he was told that his brother Toma had just won the SaarLorLux Open in Germany. The reaction was of genuine joy and delight, followed by a congratulatory message to the camera.
At the French nationals, the brothers took the men’s doubles title together and found themselves in the men’s singles final where only one could be crowned champion.
-It was at the same time good because it was a final but at the same time a nightmare because it’s strange to fight against my brother, Toma Junior Popov said honestly.
On the outside looking in, the assumption is that psychologically it must have been difficult to compete against your brother in a tournament. Or at the very least, a different kind of feeling when up against someone you grew up with and train with every day, as well as work alongside in the doubles.
However, they both approached the match in a calm and thoughtful way that pushed the pressure to one side, allowing them to have fun in the moment.
-For us, we thought of it as a training match, with no pressure and just enjoyed the game. We did the job already by reaching the final, so anything more was just a bonus.
In one interview the two were asked what would their dad/coach do if they would play against each other. They joked that he would probably leave the arena and not watch that match. Their father Toma Popov, BEC nominee of Coach of the Year, was not sitting in his usual spot behind the court for the final, perhaps that is what he did.
Two-time champion
The younger brother, Christo Popov, got the upper hand against Toma Junior Popov winning a three-game battle, 20-22, 21-16, 21-13. Christo Popov showed greater stamina in the end, perhaps helped by his successful title-winning campaign from the week before.
Christo Popov, still a teenager, has two national titles to his name.
-It's important, there aren't many people my age who already have two. This validates the fact that we work well. I would have preferred not to play against my brother. Officially, there is a winner, but we won as a team, Christo Popov said after the final.
The two brothers will be looking now to get some top-level badminton under their belts in March before eyeing up the European Championships medals in April.