We have already seen the year-end world No. 1 crown, with Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha both taking the honor. Then we turn to the stars of 2023. Now the ITTF World Table Tennis Ranking Tournament continues. With the New Year just around the corner, it's time to see who has the potential to reverse the rankings in 2024. These players are on Struggle Street in 2023 and have slipped in the rankings. However, with a brand new season on the horizon, these athletes will seize the opportunity to pick themselves back together and climb the ladder again.
-Fu Yu-
From reaching the WTT finals in 2022 to dropping 44 places in the rankings in 2023, Fu Yu has had a difficult 12 months. However, the Portuguese Pengrip power station showed a standout situation, all the way up to the quarter-finals of star contender Goa. Heading to star contender Doha in January, Fu will be a quick start. Week 1: 17th in the world 1210 points Week 52: 61st in the world| 354 points Sports: -44 bits|-856 points.
Moregaard
Moregaard has dropped 14 places to 19th place in the last 12 months. The result means the fan-favorite doesn't qualify for the WTT Men's Doha Final. But he is fully confident of a swift recovery. The Swede ended his season winning WTT feeder Stockholm, so there was a perfect springboard for the New Year. With a 50% goal conceded rate, no one is safe when Moregard comes on.
Zhang An
Due to his two appearances in the WTT Championship, Zhang An will not be able to win the title in 2023. It was a missed opportunity. With the drop in the rankings, the American star is now teetering on the brink of not being able to secure a spot under the purple lights. But as one of the best athletes in the Americas, Zhang has a good chance of progressing in the 2024 rankings. Signs point to a strong New Year. In December, Zhang's battery was recharged, and she ran to the final of the feeder Biella. Week 1: 22nd in the world | 970 points.
Bohr
The 43-year-old has fallen out of the limelight of European table tennis and will have to race against the clock in 2024. Injuries have kept the legend out of the charts for much of 2023, causing the German to drop out of the top 100 for the first time in this millennium. Climbing the ladder quickly will be Bol's mind, with a fully loaded calendar ahead, and the former world number one will have plenty of opportunities to prove that he is still one of the best players on the globe.
With the aging of Bol and Ocharov, the Lebrun brothers in Europe will replace them as the kings of Europe, and the future of European table tennis will be the world of the Lebrun brothers. National table tennis Lin Shidong is expected to rush to fifth in 2024!