Seeing Xu Xin's 2-3 defeat to Germany's Francesca at the WTT Grand Slam Singapore, I believe the fans are sorry. Of course, the win or loss of a ball may not represent anything, and this ball Xu Xin is really a bit back, and the other side wipes the edge of the net a little too much! However, because Xu Xin's singles results have indeed fallen in the recent past, the author would like to talk about Xu Xin, as the only straight main force in the national table tennis campaign, is this veteran really going to "wither"?
Talking about this topic may really be a bargain. Xu Xin's unique "wave in the waves" of the far platform entanglement fighting style was given the name "Big Python" by Liu Guidance, and netizens honored him as "Xin Ye". He is not only a popular protagonist and a frequent visitor to the top ten balls in various video websites in China, but also abroad to get the title of "President Ball", which round to get the author to say here?!
In fact, I am also a fan of Xu Xin, so please believe that I do not have the slightest malice. But here at the risk of being slapped bricks and being scolded, it may still be said that Xu Xin's next road will become more and more difficult.
Why?
This may start with the characteristics of the straight board. Due to the inherent limitations of the straight backhand, the straight board players must pay more attention to the first three boards and the forehand side attack. The use of large plastic balls and the rapid development and popularization of horizontal plate twisting have made it more and more difficult to control the front three boards, and also widened the backhand gap between the horizontal board and the straight board players.
Let's think, if Xu Xin doesn't retire, can there still be so many divine balls? The reason why Xu Xin plays is good and charming can probably be summarized in these points: playing undead, strong feel, extremely wide running range, exaggerated arc of forehand pulling ball, and endless fairy balls.
These characteristics are actually the result of reinforcing the weakness of the backhand, the increase in the difficulty of control in the first three boards, and the active and passive withdrawal.
Since the backhand is not enough to hold the crossboard player, Xu Xin needs to retire from the stage, run the defense with a wide range, and create a sideways attack opportunity for the forehand. The advantages of the ball in the original straight board table, after twisting and pulling in the horizontal board table has become a common thing, often from the beginning of the opponent's receiving the ball to form a confrontation of the upper spin ball, which is another unfavorable factor for the straight board.
Objectively speaking, Xu Xin's ability to reach the current height is already an incredible achievement, but the price he has paid is also beyond the average player. When Xu Xin was young and strong, because of his super physical fitness, he still couldn't see any problems, but when he passed the age of thirty and had injuries in his body, the challenge he faced was even greater.
Some people may say that Malone and even Pol are older, why is it more difficult for Xu Xin? Let's refer to it, according to an informal statistic, Xu Xin's range of each run is more than two or three times that of the average runner. To put it simply, when playing against an opponent of a similar level, if you need to run more than others, and run faster than others, and at the same time, the backhand is not as strong as others, is it more difficult and more tiring to win?
Xu Xin is definitely a genius, thanks to him for making table tennis more ornamental and vital. Whether the straight board has a new future and a new way of playing, we don't know yet, but it is certain that Xu Xin, a straight board veteran, is getting weaker and weaker in the singles field...
*ASICS invites you to enjoy wonderful ping-pong anecdotes
The most real favorite is the "watching" in the lower right corner of the point