The 2023 Durban World Table Tennis Championships is coming to an end, and for the national table tennis Grand Slam veteran Ma Long, this competition still leaves some regrets - in the only men's singles event he signed up, Ma Long lost 1-4 to Wang Chuqin and only won a bronze medal. Although this is already an unattainable achievement for countless table tennis players, don't forget: Ma Long was the three-time champion of the men's singles championships of the World Table Tennis Championships!
What makes fans feel even more regretful is that Ma Long achieved the only double slam in men's table tennis in 2021, but gave up participating in the Houston World Table Tennis Championships at that time, and when he competed in the Durban World Table Tennis Championships two years later, his condition was not as good as before.
In this regard, many people can't help but sigh: if Ma Long had participated two years ago, he would have won the championship and at least reached the men's singles final, right?
As we all know, Ma Long is a rare evergreen in the Chinese table tennis world, born in 1988, he was selected as early as 2006 as the main team of the World Table Tennis Championships, won the world championship title, began to participate in the single World Table Tennis Championships in 2007, and then won the bronze medal in men's singles in 2009, 2011 and 2013, and won the gold medal in men's singles in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
In 2021, Ma Long participated in the Tokyo Olympics at the age of 32, and as a result, Lao Dangyizhuang won the men's singles and men's team championships, defeated Fan Zhendong and other masters, and became the only double slam in men's table tennis so far, but he gave up participating in the World Table Tennis Championships that year.
With Ma Long's state in 2021, he was definitely the favorite to win the men's singles event of the World Table Tennis Championships, but at that time, he and the other two Olympic main players Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen announced their withdrawal, and the men's singles was led by Fan Zhendong, plus Wang Chuqin, Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan, Zhou Qihao participated in the battle, and finally Fan Zhendong became the king, and Ma Long could only become a spectator.
The dramatic thing is that after the arrival of 2022, Ma Long suddenly returned to the main ranks of the Chengdu Team World Table Tennis Championships, and then was selected for the singles team of the World Table Tennis Championships again this year, but at this time he was 34 years old and it was indeed difficult to compete with young people.
In this Durban World Table Tennis Championships, although Ma Long defeated Lin Gaoyuan 4-1, but then lost to Wang Chuqin 1-4, he did appear very passive on the field and was no longer as brave as he used to be. After this defeat, Malone is gradually away from qualifying for the men's singles at the Paris Olympics, but there is still hope to impact the men's team event, but the Olympic singles three-in-a-row title that many fans are looking forward to may not have a chance to achieve.
I have to say that Ma Long in 2021 did make great sacrifices for the young national table tennis players, and this World Table Tennis Championships Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin will master the World Table Tennis Championships men's singles final, Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan did not lose the foreign battle, which can be regarded as living up to the high expectations of the senior brother.
So in the next World Table Tennis Championships, can you still see Ma Long's figure? Let's wait and see: applaud the Dragons!