The first WTT China Grand Slam ended perfectly, with the national table tennis winning the semi-finals of men's and women's singles, and the championship and runner-up of three doubles, fully defending the glory of "national ball" at home.
But during the Chinese Grand Slam tournament, "when will Ma Long retire"? has been one of the hot topics. As soon as Malone appears in the public eye, there will definitely be reporters asking him when he will retire? What do you plan to do after retirement? And Ma Long's answer has always been ambiguous, some have said that "this may be the last time to participate in international competitions", and some have said that "I am not very old", "I haven't thought about what will happen after retirement" and so on.
And the opinion on the Internet on whether Ma Long will retire shows a "polarized" situation. Some people believe that Malone should retire soon, and he is in the way of many young players. There are also some people who believe that Ma Long's strength is here, and this time he broke into the men's singles final, and competitive sports strength is king, and age should not be used as an indicator of whether to retire.
In this regard, I have a few personal opinions:
1. Malone really doesn't want to retire
Just as Fan Zhendong really wants to retire, Ma Long really wants to stay in the arena all the time. He uses self-discipline and hard training to mitigate the adverse effects of age, allowing him to maintain a high level of performance throughout the year. He really loves table tennis.
A person like Ma Long, who is extremely self-disciplined and has a strong sense of purpose, is indeed very suitable for competitive sports.
2. Malone does not need to retire
The National Table Tennis Association continues to produce powerful young players, and it is a matter of time before Ma Long withdraws from the national team. But playing table tennis can be a profession with the option to never retire.
3. Quitting the national team, not retiring
Events organized by the ITTF, including the World Table Tennis Championships, the World Cup, and the table tennis events of the Olympic Games; There are also continental events such as the Asian Cup, the Asian Championships, and the table tennis events in the Asian Games, which are based on the table tennis association as a unit and the number of participants. But professional events like those organized by the World Table Tennis Federation (WTT) have the opportunity to participate even if they fade out of the national team.
4. The value of Malone continuing to stand on the field
Some people think that Malone doesn't want to retire because he wants to make more money. Isn't it a glorious thing to make money with one's ability to be upright? What is there to blame for this? Once people have prejudices, they will inevitably "double standard".
Many people only see that table tennis brings Ma Long money and honor, but they don't look at what Ma Long can bring to the sport of table tennis when he stands on the field?
Ma Long is the greatest player of all time in table tennis and the most popular table tennis player in the world, and his appearance in the arena can attract the attention of fans around the world, increase the broadcast rate of the event, and enhance the commercial value of table tennis.
Even if he fades out of the national team in the future, the World Table Tennis Federation should send him more wild cards and invite him to participate from time to time.
Commercially successful tennis, whether it's the WTA or ATP, not only gives opportunities to newcomers, but also allows older celebrities to become part of the arena as much as possible, so that fans of all ages can continue to follow tennis. This is worth learning from the World Table Tennis Federation.
5. If Malone really wants to retire......
Ma Long once said in an interview at the Paris Olympics that if he retires, he just wants to fade out silently and doesn't want to have any press conferences. If Ma Long really retires silently, it will definitely be a huge loss for the Chinese sports world and the ITTF.
Kasumi Ishikawa retired and held a special retirement ceremony, and plans to hold appreciation parties throughout Japan for an entire year. Tennis star Federer announced his retirement, and he traveled all over the world to thank fans all over the world for supporting him.
Ma Long's status in the table tennis world is not inferior to Federer's in the tennis world. If he really plans to retire, it is recommended to organize a "global fan meeting", a global tour. On the one hand, it can give back to the fans, and on the other hand, it can promote table tennis, so that everyone can see that table tennis is also a sport that can give birth to "international superstars". Just as football has the "king of the ball" Pele and Maradona, and Ma Long, as a benchmark in the table tennis world, there is no doubt that he should become the first "table tennis king" in the true sense.