Fan Zhendong was once regarded as the "genius" of the Chinese table tennis team, and he has won numerous accolades over the past few years with his steady skills and positive attitude. Recently, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the list of participants in the men's singles event of the Paris Olympics, and everyone has high hopes for Fan Zhendong, looking forward to him showing his strength in the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam. But it backfired, and he was once again upset out of the tournament, causing strong dissatisfaction among fans. Fan Zhendong's repeated defeats, as well as his lack of concentration during his preparations, have become a hot topic of discussion. How to correct the mentality and find the state has become the biggest problem that Fan Zhendong is currently facing.
Since the Singapore Grand Slam, Fan Zhendong's performance has been struggling. Singapore was eliminated in the second round of the Grand Slam, lost to Brazilian star Hugo in the semifinals of the Incheon Championship, lost to Lin Gaoyuan in the semifinals of the Macau World Cup, and was eliminated by German star Francesca in the Saudi Grand Slam. He hasn't won a championship for more than 300 days. With Ma Long, Lin Gaoyuan, and Liang Jingkun being eliminated one after another, fans think that Xiaopang should pick up the burden, but he has never gotten out of the predicament.
In the 1/8 knockout round of the Saudi Grand Slam, Fan Zhendong's opponent was the German star Francesca. At the beginning of the game, Fan Zhendong won two games in a row with strong strength, easily leading with two 11-4, and won the match point game with a big score of 2-0. At this time, Fan Zhendong seemed to have regained the state of his peak, and his offense and defense seemed to be at ease. However, Francesca, who had her back to the water, went all out in the third game, disrupting Fan's rhythm. Although Fan Zhendong tried to adjust his form, no matter how he changed, it was difficult to get rid of the opponent's suppression. In the end, Francesca equalized the score to 2-2 with a series of tennis and tricky balls, 6-11, 8-11.
In the crucial tiebreaker, the two sides were fiercely contested. Fan Zhendong once won two match points at 10-8, but successive mistakes allowed the opponent to complete the reversal at 12-10 and keep Fan Zhendong out of the round of 16. Fan Zhendong, who stopped in the round of 16, was once again upset, which made fans extremely disappointed.
But what angered the fans more than the loss itself was that the reason for the loss was unacceptable. German table tennis star Boll posted a photo on social media when he and Fan Zhendong watched the Champions League semi-final Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain together, revealing that Fan Zhendong stayed up late to watch the game during the game, completely ignoring the preparation for the Saudi Grand Slam. Fan Zhendong's casual attitude towards the game was difficult for fans to accept, and many people angrily criticized him on social media for not wanting to make progress and not changing his ways.
The outrage of the fans is not without reason. As early as during the Singapore Grand Slam, Fan Zhendong was spotted going to a concert, and during the domestic preparations, he also stayed up late playing games. These behaviors show that his attitude towards preparation is not rigorous enough, and it is no wonder that fans "hate him more than steel".
Although Fan Zhendong still has a very high talent and strength in table tennis skills, if he does not have a correct attitude to prepare for the battle, no amount of talent will be able to bring real success. On the other hand, veterans such as Ma Long and Xu Xin still maintain a rigorous training attitude, and young Wang Chuqin and Lin Gaoyuan are also improving, while Fan Zhendong is impetuous and unfocused at this critical moment. With just over two months to go before the Paris Olympics, there is not much time left for Fan Zhendong to adjust, and he needs to quickly adjust his mentality and go all out to prepare for the Paris Olympics.
Fans are looking forward to Fan Zhendong's Grand Slam feat at the Paris Olympics, but it's all based on whether he can get back in shape and put his mind right as soon as possible. Only by getting rid of impetuousness, letting go of distractions, and devoting ourselves wholeheartedly to training and competitions, can we truly usher in a new round of peaks. If he can reach the top of the Olympic Games in Paris, he will not only fulfill his career dream, but also bring great joy and pride to the fans.
In this process, Fan Zhendong not only needs to face up to his own shortcomings, but also needs the effective guidance and support of the team around him. The coaching staff should clearly point out his problems and develop a scientific and effective preparation plan to help him gradually return to peak form. The management should also provide support and help in the overall planning to ensure that he can maintain a good competitive condition during the competition. In addition, as a professional athlete, Fan Zhendong needs to be more aware of his role in the team, the arena and the eyes of fans, shoulder his due responsibility, take the competition and training seriously, and be a real professional athlete.
No matter how brilliant the past was, Fan Zhendong is now at a crossroads in his career. At this moment, whether he can rise to the challenge and overcome many difficulties will determine his future direction. Only by facing up to their own problems, firming up their goals, and making unremitting efforts can they live up to the expectations of the fans, show the demeanor of the Chinese table tennis team at the Paris Olympics, and write a new glorious chapter.