The national table tennis men's singles was hit hard, and Fan Zhendong's state was worrying
2024 will be a difficult year for the Chinese table tennis men's singles. In important events such as the Incheon Championship at the beginning of the year and the subsequent Macau World Cup, the main team of the national table tennis men's singles team has repeatedly lost, especially the poor state of the number one player Fan Zhendong has aroused widespread attention and questions.
Fan Zhendong wasted match points at a critical moment and was reversed
In the men's singles semifinals of the Incheon Championships in March, Fan Zhendong faced Brazilian star Hugo. The bout is seen as a pivotal match for Fan Zhendong to return to the top and defend his title. During the game, Fan Zhendong won the match point many times, but repeatedly wasted good opportunities, and finally lost to Hugo 2-4 and missed the final. This is Fan Zhendong's second consecutive tournament finals, and his mental state and determination at a critical moment have been questioned.
However, in the subsequent Macau World Cup men's singles round of 16, Fan Zhendong seemed to have regained his form. He first defeated the German veteran Bol in the first round, and then in a national civil war, although he once fell behind 3-1 and was picked up by teammate Lin Shidong, he finally passed the 4-3 reversal with tenacious struggle. This reversal gave a glimpse of Fan Zhendong's fighting spirit, but the problem of him wasting match points at critical moments still exists.
Other main players of national table tennis have also been upset
In addition to Fan Zhendong, the other main lineups of national table tennis in the men's singles event of the Macau World Cup are also losing one after another. Liang Jingkun and Lin Shidong both suffered upsets in the round of 16 and missed the quarterfinals. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to them, and it makes one wonder if they have reached the downhill slope of their careers.
Even so, there are still 3 people in this national table tennis project: Wang Chuqin, Ma Long and Lin Gaoyuan to advance to the quarterfinals. However, other traditional strong teams such as Germany and Japan are also all qualified, and it can be said that the performance of the national table tennis men's singles in this World Cup is really mediocre.
The national table tennis men's singles event has attracted widespread attention and discussion
As a traditional strong team in table tennis, the poor performance of the national table tennis men's singles in important events has undoubtedly aroused widespread attention and discussion from the outside world. Some experts believe that this is related to the current coaching team and training methods of national table tennis, and the lack of spiritual and psychological training for young players. Others believe that this is just a temporary trough period for national table tennis, and believe that they will rise again one day.
However, the performance of Fan Zhendong and the national table tennis men's singles in 2024 is indeed a big surprise. As the number one player, Fan Zhendong's problem of wasting match points at critical moments and being reversed needs to be solved urgently. And the other main lineups of national table tennis also need to regain their form in time so as not to miss the peak of their careers. We have reason to believe that with the strong strength of Chinese table tennis, they will eventually regain their former glory.