With the Paris Olympics approaching, the selection of national table tennis players has become the center of heated discussions among fans. In the women's table tennis team, Sun Yingsha has firmly locked in one Olympic singles quota place with her outstanding performance, while the other spot seems to be more inclined to Wang Manyu. Despite this, Chen Meng still has a chance to challenge the status quo at the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam. On the men's side, Ma Long's surprise victory at the Macau World Cup added another layer of suspense to his Olympic singles qualification. Although his form has been up and down recently, Ma Long used his experience and superb backhand serve to achieve a stunning comeback against Lin Gaoyuan in the final from a disadvantageous situation of 0:3 to win the championship.
This victory not only rekindled Ma Long's Olympic flames, but also made his call to replace Fan Zhendong, who was in a slump in form, to participate in the Olympics is growing louder. Although Fan Zhendong was a gold medal regular, his recent poor performances have raised questions about his Olympic singles qualifications. In this regard, national table tennis coach Liu Guoliang is faced with a difficult choice. On the one hand, he needs to take into account the world rankings and Olympic selection rules, with Ma Long only competing in the team event despite being ranked third in the world, and on the other hand, Fan Zhendong's continued slump has called into question his suitability in singles, and continuing to compete could be a serious risk.
In this context, Liu Guoliang's decision will greatly affect the performance of national table tennis in the Olympic Games. If Ma Long is chosen to replace Fan Zhendong, although it does not meet the regular selection rules, it may be the key to winning higher results. In this case, Liu Guoliang not only needs to weigh the strength of the players and recent performances, but also must take into account the tactical layout and team morale to ensure that every choice can win the greatest advantage for the national table tennis on the Olympic stage.