On April 22, Beijing time, at the largest table tennis forum in China, some netizens posted a photo of Fan Zhendong whispering to Zhou Qihao next to him when he watched the men's singles final of the 2024 Table Tennis World Cup in the stands, which aroused strong attention from fans.
As you can see from the photos, I don't know if I'm afraid that the camera will capture my mouth shape, or I'm worried that the coach or teammates around me will hear what I'm talking about, Fan Zhendong covered his mouth with his hand and said something to Zhou Qihao on the side, and the loving picture made netizens leave messages and likes: "It's so cute, wow, after discovering the camera, it becomes well-behaved in seconds, as if the student was caught talking by the teacher in class", "How can Fan Zhendong be so cute", "What is Xiaopang talking to Zhou Qihao? Back upstairs, I think Chubby is talking about five egg scones for the night."
The 2024 Table Tennis World Cup will be held in Macau, China, but Fan Zhendong, who is regarded as the favorite to win the championship, lost to teammate Lin Gaoyuan 2-4 in the quarterfinals and missed the podium. Coupled with his loss to Brazilian player Hugo in the semifinals of the WTT Incheon Championship and his loss to teammate Lin Shidong in the 1/16 finals of the WTT Singapore Grand Slam, Fan Zhendong's competitive form has raised many questions. However, judging from Fan Zhendong's live state and his active social media presence, he has not lost confidence because of these defeats, and may be accumulating energy for the Paris Olympics.
After Ma Long won the men's singles championship of the Table Tennis World Cup, the Chinese men's team's Paris Olympics lineup became clearer, and the trio of Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, and Ma Long has almost become a sure thing. As for whether Ma Long can play in the men's singles again, it may have to wait until the last minute for the national table tennis coaching staff to make a decision. In any case, the men's singles will be the most challenging single event that the national table tennis will encounter at the Paris Olympics, including South Korea's Zhang Yuzhen, Brazil's Hugo, etc., have defeated the main force of national table tennis, but it is the Japanese Chinese player Tomokazu Zhang Moto's threat to the Chinese team is becoming smaller and smaller.