Coach and manager of the top club Levallois in France, French head national coach, numerous international titles, work with table tennis stars such as Gatien, Legout and Karlsson. What do you like about working with the talents in Ochsenhausen?

I like working in Ochsenhausen for several reasons. First, because of the energy and the commitment of the people, the back office and the sports staff. For me, Ochsenhausen is a perfect place to gradually improve your skills when you have a passion for table tennis.

It is teamwork and the team in Ochsenhausen is a good team. We still have a lot to do, especially to improve our structure. We’ve made a lot of changes in our organization in recent years, and the next step will be Stabilization.

Working with young people is not new for me. I started with the young French generation such as Gauzy, Flore etc.

Now, I’m focusing on Simon and Hugo but also on Bence and Can with the staff (Mika Simon, Fu Yong, and Jean-René Mounié). I also have a good relationship with Dima Mazunov, who is the TTF coach, and Dubo, who takes care of the “young group”.

What do you look for first when you meet a young player who wants to become a student at the LMC? 

When I start to work with young players, I look for their motivation, I try to understand them and what they wish to achieve. I like to observe them trying to discover what they have “inside”.

It always takes time to figure someone out. In Europe, we still have a lot of players with high potential. Ochsenhausen makes major investments in coaches. Sometimes, this is what’s missing. To develop young players, you have to work in a team. And this is what we are trying to do in OX.

Olympia 2020 is on the horizon. Have you begun preparing for it yet?

Of course, I think a lot about Tokyo 2020. Our team is drawing up the plan for Hugo and Simon. I talk a lot to Mika Simon, Jean-Rene Mounié, and also Kristijan Pejinovic to bestprepare the players to achieve a high performance in Tokyo. But sorry, I’m keeping my plan to myself.

How do you feel when two of your players compete against each other on the World Tour?

I have no particular feelings on the matter. It happens. That’s sport. I just aim to stay in the background and help them with their development.

What do you do in your spare time to balance your job as Head of Sport at the LMC?

I try to take an interest in what’s going on. I’m interested in the evolution of the world. And I can say that I am worried when I observe the development of some extreme ideas. I do sport to stay healthy. I like to go to the cinema, the theatre and do activities that stimulate me intellectually.