![[Table Tennis: C-Pen] Exciting to Watch! Europe's Top RPB Specialist: Felix Lebrun (France)](https://tabletennis-lab.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/9d4f5f8dab0a74ed61dbcbada19a59dc.jpg)
1. Introduction
Felix Lebrun is one of the most exciting players in modern table tennis.
The French star uses the rare Chinese Penhold grip and overwhelms opponents with explosive speed, relentless tempo, and world-class Reverse Penhold Backhand (RPB) attacks.
In this article, I’ll break down what makes Felix Lebrun such a unique and difficult player to face.
2. About Felix Lebrun
- Nationality: France
- Age: 19
- Style: Right-handed Penhold Attacker
- World Ranking: No. 6
Felix Lebrun became one of the world’s top players at an incredibly young age, breaking into the Top 20 at just 17 years old.
His older brother, Alexis Lebrun, is also a world-class French player.
*World Rankings as of March 2026 (ITTF)
3. Equipment
Felix uses an extremely powerful setup designed for aggressive close-to-the-table attacks.
His racket is estimated to weigh around 190g, which is considered very heavy for a penhold player.
4. Grip Analysis
Felix Lebrun uses a very distinctive penhold grip optimized for aggressive RPB attacks.
(1) Front Side
He inserts his thumb deeply into the blade, similar to Wang Hao. This grip makes his backhand attacks faster and more stable.
(2) Back Side
On the back side, he curls his three fingers behind the blade, which is common among modern penhold players.
5. Service
(1) Forehand Serve Grip
During forehand serves, Felix removes his thumb from the front of the blade.
This likely increases wrist mobility and helps generate heavier spin.
(2) Backhand Serve
Felix occasionally uses a backhand serve to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm.
For example, he used it during the 2024 WTT Champions Montpellier final against Tomokazu Harimoto while trailing late in the match.
His backhand serve grip appears relatively standard.
6. Receive (Return of Serve)
One of the most surprising aspects of Felix Lebrun’s game is his receive strategy.
Despite his elite backhand skills, Felix relies heavily on short pushes and stops rather than aggressive flicks.
Instead of attacking immediately, he often forces opponents into awkward opening loops and then counterattacks at high speed.
His extremely low error rate on short receives also suggests exceptional spin-reading ability.
7. Other Notable Characteristics
(1) Extremely Fast Match Tempo
Felix plays at an unusually fast tempo. Between points, he is almost always ready before his opponent.
This constant pressure prevents opponents from settling into their own rhythm.
Once Felix gains momentum, matches can quickly become one-sided.
※日本国内からはご視聴いただけない場合があります。
(2) High-Speed Close-to-the-Table Attacks
Felix transitions between forehand and backhand attacks with incredible speed while staying close to the table.
His relentless tempo often overwhelms opponents before they can react.
(3) Exceptional Mental Reset
Even after mistakes, Felix quickly resets his emotions and immediately focuses on the next point.
This mental stability is one of the reasons he can maintain such an aggressive pace throughout the match.
8. Conclusion
At first, I focused mainly on Felix Lebrun’s RPB technique.
However, the more I watched his matches, the more I realized that his true strength comes from his tempo, tactical intelligence, and mental control.
Felix Lebrun is not just an exciting penhold player — he is one of the most unique players in modern table tennis.
He will undoubtedly remain one of the sport’s most important players in the years ahead.
Thank you for reading!
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