The Macau Table Tennis World Cup is about to kick off, and top players from all over the world have arrived in Macau. The national table tennis team set sail on April 12, and on the same day, Japan's Tomokazu Haramoto also embarked on the journey. Some reports pointed out that he was not traveling with his sister Zhang Benmei this time.
Upon arrival at the airport, Tomokazu was warmly welcomed by fans from China. When asked why he didn't travel with his mother, he said that his sister would arrive later due to academic reasons.
After arriving in Macau, Tomokazu Zhang immediately threw himself into intense preparations. In an interview with Japanese media, he expressed the importance he attaches to the Macau World Cup, which he sees as a key training opportunity before the Paris Olympics.
When asked about his prediction for the championship of this event, Zhang Benzhihe responded with a smile (he had accurately predicted the victory of Liang Jingkun in the previous Incheon Championship), and made an outlook on the ownership of the championship, frankly saying that he is personally optimistic about Fan Zhendong winning the championship, Lin Yunru is also a strong contender, and at the same time, he is also full of confidence in himself.
So, why did he choose Fan Zhendong instead of other national table tennis players or Liang Jingkun, whom he has always admired? According to media reports, Fan Zhendong has been training extremely hard recently and going all out to prove himself. As a person in the table tennis world, Zhang Benzhihe naturally understands the situation of his opponent, which may be one of the reasons why he is optimistic about Fan Zhendong.
It should be noted that although Tomokazu Zhang was not warmly welcomed by the Chinese crowd during the competition, and even some of the crowd's cheers were uncomfortable, he did have a unique way of predicting the winner.
As we all know, before the start of the Incheon Championship, almost no one expected Liang Jingkun to go all the way to the championship and finally win the crown. However, Tomokazu Zhang expressed his support for Liang Jingkun early, and even was ridiculed by some fans for not mentioning Fan Zhendong and Ma Long when predicting the champion.
This time, Tomokazu Zhang turned to Fan Zhendong, believing that this forecaster must have his own unique insights. A few days later, we will know whether Tomokazu Zhang's prediction was accurate.
Today, Fan Zhendong is under tremendous pressure. Since the Moldy concert incident, he has failed to perform at his best at the Singapore Grand Slam and the Incheon Championships, and this period has undoubtedly become the peak of his career.
I sincerely wish Fan Zhendong excellent results in this competition and prove his strength. After all, the Paris Olympics are approaching, and as the male player with the most championships in the national table tennis Paris cycle, Fan Zhendong urgently needs to show his best condition.