French Open: A Dream Gets Closer
A day after he’s won the biggest title of his career, Christo Popov surveyed the Adidas Arena, venue of the badminton competition for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Popov is in the reckoning as a possible qualifier in men’s singles and men’s doubles, and the venue represented not just a physical space but the realisation of a dream. On the eve of the YONEX French Open 2024, Test Event for Paris 2024, Popov could sense the destination getting closer.
“I’m very happy with the Olympics in Paris, it’s a really nice venue,” said Popov, winner of the German Open on Sunday. “I’ll try of course to qualify and I’ll be very happy to play in the hall. It’s been a big goal that we’ve set with my brother, and we are just a few months away from the end of the Olympic race, so I can’t wait to finish the race.
“Last week was pretty long, pretty tough and I could bring my first title at the World Tour Super 300. There were a lot of long matches; each day I could’ve lost. So it was a mental battle and I’m happy to bring my first World Tour title.”