The deep reasons behind the upset of national table tennis
At the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, the situation of the national table tennis players suffering from upsets one after another has aroused widespread attention and heated discussions from the outside world. Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, Lin Gaoyuan, Liang Jingkun and other main forces have been eliminated one after another, which is shocking. This not only affected the prospect of national table tennis winning the championship in this Grand Slam, but also aroused people's doubts and worries about whether the strength of national table tennis has declined. It is necessary for us to investigate and explore the underlying causes of this incident.
The state of the main national table tennis squad is up and down
In the main lineup of national table tennis, there are many players with unique skills and who have created brilliant records, but their current state has certain ups and downs and instability.
In the case of Ma Long, although he only won the last World Cup, he was eliminated in the round of 32 in the Saudi Grand Slam. Malone is now 35 years old, and physical injuries have always been his stubborn illness, and during the World Cup, his neck and thighs were covered with plasters, and he gritted his teeth and persevered to finish the game. The long-term high-intensity training and competition undoubtedly took a heavy toll on Ma Long's body.
Fan Zhendong has also been plagued by injuries. In this year's Doha, he retired due to injury; When he played against Lin Gaoyuan in the Macau World Cup, he also called a timeout due to injury. Despite Fan Zhendong's strength, the impact of injuries has kept his form up and down, lacking consistency.
In addition to the physical condition, the problem of psychological quality also affects the play of the main force of national table tennis. Fan Zhendong was in the Saudi Arabia Grand Slam, when he was leading 2-0, but suddenly dropped the line and was reversed by Germany's Francesca. This fully shows that Fan Zhendong at that time had collapsed.
The strength of foreign associations is constantly on par
In the past, national table tennis dominated the world table tennis arena for a long time, and it was difficult for players from other associations to compete with it. However, with the global development of table tennis, the strength of players from foreign associations is also improving, and they have made great progress in terms of skills, tactics, physical fitness, etc., and the gap with national table tennis has gradually narrowed.
Germany's Francesca is a case in point. He not only defeated Fan Zhendong in this Saudi Grand Slam, but also defeated Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan and other national table tennis players in the past. Francesca has a strong backhand offensive ability, and also has an excellent performance in multi-shot holding, and his skills and tactics are quite comprehensive.
In addition to Germany, players from other countries and regions should not be underestimated. Like Denmark's Grote and Japan's Tomokazu Zhangmoto, they are all world-class top masters and are fully capable of defeating national table tennis players in head-to-head battles.
Format changes add to the uncertainty
In recent years, the ITTF has made several reforms to the rules and competition system of table tennis competitions, which has also increased the uncertainty and chance factors of the competition to a certain extent.
Taking the latest 21-point format as an example, due to the slowdown of speed, the reduction of spin, and the increase in the number of rounds, the physical and mental work endured by athletes during the competition has increased. This requires athletes to be not only skilled in skills and tactics, but also need good physical and psychological quality as support.
Another influencing factor is the coach's on-the-spot guidance. In the past, coaches could guide the tactical deployment of athletes from the sidelines. However, under the new format, this role of coaches has been greatly diminished, and athletes need to deal with the situation on the field with a high degree of autonomy, which undoubtedly increases their psychological pressure.
The combination of multiple factors such as the ups and downs of the main national table tennis lineup, the continuous alignment of the strength of foreign associations, and the increase in uncertainty of the competition system have caused them to be upset one after another in the Saudi Grand Slam. This is not only a warning, but also an opportunity to force the national table tennis to further improve its own strength and maintain its leading position in the world table tennis arena.