On October 25, the national table tennis announced the list of players participating in the Houston World Table Tennis Championships, and the absence of Ma Long, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen, three Olympic champions, triggered heated discussion in the Japanese media.
List of the World Table Tennis Championships:
Men's Singles: Fan Zhendong, Liang Jingkun, Wang Chuqin, Lin Gaoyuan, Zhou Qihao
Women's Singles: Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Xingtong, Wang Yidi
Men's Doubles: Fan Zhendong / Wang Chuqin, Lin Gaoyuan / Liang Jingkun
Women's Doubles: Sun Yingsha / Wang Manyu, Chen Meng / Qian Tianyi
Mixed doubles: Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha, Lin Gaoyuan/Wang Manyu
At present, the national table tennis is training in Wenzhou, Lin Gaoyuan, Liang Jingkun, Wang Chuqin, Zhou Qihao, Wang Yidi, etc. have set off for Slovenia on the 29th to participate in the WTT Slovenia Open tournament that began on November 1. Olympic champions such as Fan Zhendong, Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu continued to train in Wenzhou to prepare for the World Table Tennis Championships that began on November 23.
Japanese media mentioned that Ma Long, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen are all on the Wenzhou training list, but these famous players will not participate in the Houston World Table Tennis Championships. Wang Chuqin, Zhou Qihao, Chen Xingtong and Wang Yidi will compete in the singles competition of the World Table Tennis Championships for the first time. Women's doubles, Chen Meng partnered with the 2018 World Youth Championships women's singles champion left-handed player Qian Tianyi, which is a surprise for the national table tennis. Zhou Qihao, Chen Xingtong, Wang Yidi and Qian Tianyi all participated in the World Table Tennis Championships for the first time.
Zhou Qihao, Chen Xingtong and Wang Yidi are all 24 years old this year, this is their first time to participate in the world table tennis championships, Qian Tianyi is from Jiangsu, which is also the second time that Jiangsu players have appeared in the World Table Tennis Championships after many years.
After the list was announced, Liu Shiwen posted on social media: After 5 years of preparation and the Olympic Games, her body and mind need a period of rest, this Houston World Table Tennis Championships, I also took the initiative with the team not to participate, hoping to return to the table tennis table in the best state through this period of adjustment. Although I will not go out with the team this time, I will always pay attention to the performance of my teammates and look forward to our Chinese team achieving good results in Houston again, victory and triumph!
Ma Long's reasons for not participating in the World Table Tennis Championships are roughly the same as Liu Shiwen's. Unlike Liu Shiwen and Ma Long, Xu Xin's reason for not participating in the World Table Tennis Championships is to spend more time with his family, xu Xin's daughter was born in September this year, when he was participating in the National Games, and liu Shiwen paired up to win the mixed doubles championship. Xu Xin said he did not want to retire.
Japanese media pointed out that although the three did not say that they would retire, it is still unknown whether they will continue to participate in domestic competitions, table tennis super or continue to fight in the Paris Olympic Games. The 2022 Team World Table Tennis Championships will be held in Chengdu, will they compete again?
Tokyo Olympic men's singles bronze medalist Germany's Ochalov withdrew from the World Table Tennis Championships with an ankle injury, but Pol, 40, has now confirmed his appearance, and his first appearance in the World Table Tennis Championships was at the 1997 World Table Tennis Championships in Manchester. In the past 24 years, Ball has only missed twice in 2008 and 2009, and the upcoming Houston World Table Tennis Championships is his 18th time in the World Table Tennis Championships. Ball has played high in the German league this season and remains in good form.
Starting on the 1st, the WTT Slovenia Tournament will start, lin Gaoyuan, Wang Chuqin, Liang Jingkun, Zhou Qihao, Liu Dingshuo, Wang Yidi and Liu Weishan will participate, which is the first time that national table tennis players have participated in WTT after more than a year after the Doha tournament in March last year.