On February 11, 2022, it was reported on social media that Chen Xuan, the former coach of the men's first team of the national team and the interim head coach of Sun Yingsha, has officially returned to Jiangsu Province. He no longer serves as the coach of the Chinese table tennis team. In this way, Sun Yingsha, who has no coach in charge, has once again fallen into the embarrassing situation of "free range". It seems that sun Yingsha's selection of coaches will remain a mystery for some time to come.
Chen Xuan returned to Jiangsu Province to serve as a first-team coach of table tennis at Nanjing University of Physical Education. Nanjing University of Physical Education Document, School Issue [2021] No. 81 "Nanjing University of Physical Education Decision on Hiring Li Mingde and 101 Other Comrades as Provincial Outstanding Sports Team Coaches" appointed Comrade Chen Xuan as the men's first-line coach of the table tennis team. The appointment period is from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025. This also means that Chen Xuan is unlikely to return to the national team in the next three years, missing the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Chen Xuan's doubles achievements were outstanding during his time as an athlete in the national team, and the highlight of his career was on August 21, 2004, when Chen Xuan and Marlene won the championship in the men's doubles final of the Athens Olympic Games. In 2014, Chen Xuan retired. In 2018, he retired and joined the coaching staff of the Chinese national table tennis team. In 2019, he was selected by the Chinese Table Tennis Association to prepare for the Tokyo Olympic Games Strategic System Command, and became the coach of the men's first team of the national team.
Previously, Sun Yingsha's head coach Huang Haicheng left the national team for personal reasons. Chen Xuan was appointed as Sun Yingsha's interim head coach. Sun Yingsha's provincial coach Yang Guangdi was also transferred to the national team to assist Sun Yingsha in training. Li Falcon, head coach of the national table tennis women's team, will also coach Sun Yingsha when he has free time. From these indications, the national table tennis coaching staff has high hopes for Sun Yingsha and is cautious about who will be her supervisor coach. During this period, Chen Xuan and Sun Yingsha cooperated very happily, and the call for becoming the head coach of Sun Yingsha was very high.
Judging from the article published by Nanjing University of Physical Education on December 31, 2021. Chen Xuan left the national team and returned to Nanjing to take up a position, which has long been in operation, and it is not a temporary intention. It is likely that Chen Xuan chose to be a coach in Nanjing because his wife and children are in Nanjing, and choosing to be a coach in Nanjing can better take care of the family.
When Sun Yingsha was in the national first team, she did not get along well with the head coach Huang Haicheng. So much so that when Sun Yingsha was in a downturn in 2018, Li Falcon publicly criticized Huang Haicheng for being responsible, and he would never give up on Sun Yingsha.
Now with Chen Xuan's departure. Sun Yingsha's selection of head coach is still a mystery. A competent coach who can fully realize sun Yingsha's potential is not easy to find, and must be highly skilled and good at communication. Such a candidate may only be qualified by convincing veterans such as Ma Long, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen. But from the current situation, Ma Long, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen all want to continue to stand on the field to impact the WTT Grand Slam, and the idea of turning into a coach has not yet been put on the agenda. Sun Yingsha's "free range" state will continue for some time.