From the beginning of the year to the middle of the year, what became the turning point for Fan Zhendong?
In the men's singles final of the WTT Star Challenge Ljubljana, after a hearty seven-game battle, Fan Zhendong defeated Wang Chuqin to win the championship. This scene seems familiar, in the men's singles final of the Durban World Table Tennis Championships not long ago, Fan Zhendong also successfully defended his title after defeating a strong teammate. More than half a year, Fan Zhendong has gained a lot, from the ups and downs of his state at the beginning of the year to the hot feel in the middle of the year, what gives him support and motivation?
From a game won by a greasy crookedness, found "real support"
If you look back at the beginning of 2023, the game presented by Fan Zhendong did not feel good, and he lost 0-3 to Ma Long in the first stage straight to the final, he felt that he "has not yet integrated, the game is over". Then came to Goa, India, where WTT's first star challenge of the opening year, Fan Zhendong was overturned by South Korea's Cho Dae-sung after leading 2-0 and hurriedly stopped the round of 16. "In this race in India, I really wanted to have a good performance and go for a start. I played very well in front of the game, and suddenly I had a feeling of returning to the training ground, which was a bit like facing Zhang Benzhi and that ball at the Chengdu World Table Tennis Championships, and when I felt that the situation had been well controlled, I suddenly had a relatively large ups and downs. Fan Zhendong described that feeling.
"Losing the match against Zhao Dacheng touched me very much." He didn't have a game, and when he watched his teammates play, Fan Zhendong thought, "I feel that people are a little scattered." Fan Zhendong knew that he needed a game at this time so that he could break through himself and open the situation. "This match was against Moregaard [Singapore Grand Slam Men's Singles 1/4 Final], the first game was won more easily, and I played this feeling again, forgot about the score, it was like training, I didn't pay attention to the changes in the other side, I felt that I could just continue my own pace."
Fan Zhendong faced a dangerous situation in this game, trailing 1-2 and tying in the fourth game, but this time Fan Zhendong broke through the feeling of mechanical numbness, he broke through the invisible barrier and returned to the game, without allowing Moregaard to score again. "I have some feelings in my hands, and such a greasy and crooked game has helped me find the feeling and inspired myself."
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Sometimes you play too smoothly, and you always worry about whether the next game can be played like this? Sometimes I don't play so well, but I think that the next game will not be worse than I am now.
For a while at the beginning of the year, I needed to have a game to open my mind, and as a real support, I wanted a scene, a victory. I will also ask myself, if I do better against Zhang Benzhihe (Chengdu World Table Tennis Championships) and against Zhao Dacheng, can I turn the game around? But these are just assumptions, in the real game is still through their own efforts, really grasp the victory, really achieve the turnaround.
After the victory over Moregaard, I played more clearly in the following games and I didn't suddenly become mechanized. Whether I win or lose the rest of the game, I can be committed, I can fight and fight against my opponent, and this is a turning point that I have experienced this year.
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Even in losing games, find something worthy of recognition
Won the WTT Singapore Grand Slam men's singles championship, Fan Zhendong also qualified for the Durban World Table Tennis Championships. "After the singles and doubles lists came out, I made a lot of demands on myself. Faster run-in and trust with the new head coach Liu Heng also need to go through the competition, and the cooperation of the competition can make us more harmonious and pave the way for the future. Fan Zhendong believes that from any point of view, the World Table Tennis Championships are very important to him.
The sense of the ball and the memory of victory accumulated at the Singapore Grand Slam were disturbed by the discordant sound of someone breaking into the hotel room before the Xinxiang match, "This incident delayed my departure and disrupted the mentality of the game. Starting with that mindset, I didn't expect much from this competition. The 3-0 win over Felix Lebrun in the first game was unexpected, and I became more and more engaged in the rest of the game."
Defeating Lin Shidong 3-2 and Lin Zhongxun 4-3, these two matches that reached the tiebreaker made Fan Zhendong remember it vividly. "It was very thrilling, and the match against Lin Shidong gave him the match point first, and I was able to win largely because after winning the Grand Slam championship, my game feeling and technical and tactical thinking were maintained well, and the final was the best game I played in that period." In the final Fan Zhendong vs Liang Jingkun, after the first two games were tied at 10, "the first game was very crucial, after winning, I felt that I was playing better and better later."
In Fan Zhendong's feelings, he felt that he was in good condition when he arrived in Macau. But contrary to Xinxiang, "the more you play back, the less confident you are, and you always want to go through the game smoothly, and the details are not rigorous enough." When I met Alex, I lost the first game when I was leading, including the fifth game when I was 7-3 up, and it was really a problem on my side, and the more I felt that there was no risk, the more I made mistakes."
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When I'm not in that good shape, I need to stimulate myself in various ways, bite more points in the game, or win in a difficult situation, and play this kind of successful memory that I can remember. But at the same time, even if you experience a losing game, you can give yourself some thinking.
I like to ponder, sometimes thinking more things will lead to less concentration when shooting, after learning more about myself, I think I still get more help. I can help myself control some moments when I feel like I'm going to get out of control, and at this point in the game, positive cues help me.
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