The national table tennis was hit hard at the Saudi Grand Slam, and the alarm bell rang for a long time
On May 7, 2024, in the singles round of the Table Tennis Grand Slam held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Chinese national table tennis team suffered an unprecedented heavy blow. The four world champions, Liang Jingkun, Wang Manyu, Lin Gaoyuan and Ma Long, were eliminated one after another, which is a unique poor performance in the history of a Grand Slam tournament.
As a traditional powerhouse in table tennis, the Chinese team has long been the ruler of singles. Since the 1959 World Table Tennis Championships, the Chinese team has started a long-term domination in singles, especially in the past 30 years, it has been invincible and won a large number of titles. Even if they occasionally encounter coldness in foreign wars, in top tournaments such as Grand Slams, the Chinese team can fully dominate and finally win the championship.
The poor performance in Saudi Arabia this time is undoubtedly a major wake-up call for national table tennis. Commentators believe that this reflects the unprecedented challenge to the dominance of the Chinese team in the singles event. With the continuous improvement of players from other countries, losing in foreign wars is no longer an exception, but is becoming a trend.
The trend of losing in foreign wars is intensifying, and the advantage is gradually shrinking
In recent years, the dominance of the Chinese team in singles events has indeed begun to be challenged and impacted to a certain extent. At the 2022 Qatar Open, the then 18-year-old Singaporean player Lin Weijie knocked out the world Ma Long at the time. At last year's Hungarian Open, Germany's "Prince of Table Tennis" Bocha also defeated Lin Gaoyuan in the final to win the championship.
These examples of foreign losses are gradually increasing, reflecting that the advantages of the Chinese team are being eaten away by players from other countries. Many young foreign players have grown up with the biggest goal of beating the Chinese team, and they are constantly catching up and surpassing in terms of technique, physical fitness and mental quality.
"We used to have to play 80 per cent to win, but now we have to play 120 per cent to win. Former national player Wang Liqin said in an interview. This is a vivid portrayal of the Chinese team's increasing struggle in foreign wars.
The national table tennis reflects on training and preparations, and calls for attention to the grim situation
Faced with this stark reality, the national team's coaching staff was shocked and disappointed by the poor performance at the Saudi Grand Slam. They said they would delve into the reasons for this result and comprehensively reflect on their training and preparations.
"We've worked hard as a team, but obviously there's still a lot to be desired. Liu Guoliang, head coach of the national team, said at a press conference, "We will humbly review, re-examine our training methods, selection mechanisms and other links, and comprehensively find the root cause of the problem." ＂
In addition to the reflection at the technical and tactical level, the national team will also focus on the improvement of psychological quality. Many young players tend to have an invisible psychological pressure when facing foreign opponents, which will undoubtedly affect the performance of the game. The coaching staff will bring in more psychologists to help the athletes build up their confidence.
Liu Guoliang also called on the national table tennis community to attach great importance to this grim foreign war situation. "We are still the top team in table tennis, but if we are complacent and stagnate, we will quickly overtake the advantage by other countries. He said, "We need the joint efforts of the whole industry to consolidate the leading position of Chinese table tennis." ＂
This "Black Monday" sounded a heavy alarm bell for the Chinese table tennis team. Dominance in singles is being challenged like never before, and the trend of losing outside the world is intensifying. Although national table tennis is still the top team in table tennis, if it is not paid attention to in time and effective measures are taken, the advantage will soon be overtaken by other countries.
In the face of this grim situation, the national team has begun in-depth reflection and adjustment. From technical tactics to psychological quality, from selection mechanism to training methods, the national table tennis will find the root cause of the problem in an all-round way and formulate practical countermeasures. The national table tennis community also needs to attach great importance to this issue and work together to consolidate China's leading position in table tennis.
Although this "Black Monday" has brought a heavy blow to the national table tennis, it will eventually become a beneficial "heart booster". Only by facing problems and reflecting with an open mind can national table tennis continue to improve itself, cope with challenges, and finally continue to write brilliance in the new era.